INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Bangladesh: Poverty

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions he has had with the government of Bangladesh on its plans to reduce poverty; and if he will make a statement.

Alan Duncan: Her Excellency Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister of Bangladesh, is visiting London this week and has had discussions with our Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and ministerial colleagues. I met her and the Bangladeshi Foreign Minister, Dr Dipu Moni, yesterday. We had a good discussion about the future scale and scope of UK aid to Bangladesh. UK aid will be directed at helping Bangladesh achieve its poverty reduction goals, including better services in education and health for the poorest, especially women. We agreed on the importance of transparency and a strong focus on results.

Departmental Conditions of Employment

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  how much his Department spent on decompression of employees in each year from 2005 to 2010;
	(2)  how many of his Department's employees were subject to decompression schemes in each year from 2005 to 2010;
	(3)  how much his Department spent on decompression of employees who had been stationed in Afghanistan in each year from 2005 to 2010;
	(4)  how many of his Department's employees who had been stationed in Afghanistan were subject to decompression schemes in each year from 2005 to 2010;
	(5)  what his Department's policy is on decompression of employees who have been stationed in Afghanistan; and whether there is a variation in policy according to rank or pay grade.

Alan Duncan: The Department for International Development's (DFID) decompression policies and procedures support our employees who live and work in conflict zones. This allows them to have regular time away from the conflict zone and the opportunity to access support services.
	DFID's policy on decompression of employees in Afghanistan is that employees spend six weeks in country and two weeks out of country. They also have the option of three weeks in country and one week out of country, provided that the total cost and time away do not exceed the costs for the six weeks/two weeks policy.
	We encourage staff to talk to a counsellor on a routine basis every six months to ensure they continue to cope in the environment and when they leave Afghanistan, we have routine debriefing procedures to ensure they have the support they need to cope with returning from a difficult environment.
	The policies apply to all staff regardless of rank and pay grade.
	DFID does not publicise staff numbers for its overseas offices and does not hold a record of expenditure solely associated with decompression.

Departmental Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what single tender contracts his Department has awarded since his appointment; and what the monetary value is of each contract above the EU public procurement threshold.

Alan Duncan: The Department for International Development (DFID) has not issued any single tender contracts for a value above the EU public procurement threshold since the Secretary of State's appointment.
	DFID has delegated procurement below the EU public procurement threshold to its global offices. Details of any single tenders issued are not centrally recorded and cannot be provided without disproportionate cost.

Developing Countries: Females

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of his Department's budget for overseas projects was spent on projects aiming to assist women and girls in the last three years for which figures are available.

Stephen O'Brien: Achieving results for women and girls is one of the Department for International Development's (DFID's) six strategic priorities. DFID aims to assist women and girls throughout its project portfolio and also supports projects targeting specific issues related to women and girls and gender equality. Due to the cross cutting nature of gender policy is not possible to disaggregate a precise figure for total expenditure on projects aiming to assist women and girls.

Developing Countries: Microfinance

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of his Department's budget for overseas projects was spent on microfinance projects for  (a) both men and women and  (b) women only in the last three years for which figures are available.

Stephen O'Brien: The requested information cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate cost. The Department for International Development (DFID) does not hold consolidated data on expenditure on microfinance programmes as a proportion of the total overseas aid budget. Nor does DFID hold consolidated data on expenditure on microfinance projects by gender.

Developing Countries: Microfinance

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of microfinance projects in contributing to progress towards Millennium Development Goal Three: to promote gender equality and empower women.

Stephen O'Brien: Financial inclusion programmes supported by the Department for International Development (DFID) demonstrate the positive impact that microfinance can have on women's empowerment. For example, DFID supports the Kashf Foundation in Pakistan, which provides financial services to women from low income communities. An assessment of the programme found that: 60% of clients took out loans to start new businesses; 34% of long-term clients experienced improvement in their economic situation; two-thirds increased their savings; and women's increased ability to contribute to the family income improved their status within the household.
	We cannot assume, however, that women's empowerment is an automatic outcome of microfinance programmes. DFID is producing a toolkit to strengthen the design, implementation and measurement of programmes to empower women through improved financial inclusion. The toolkit will be launched in spring 2011.

Equality: Females

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he plans to take to support women and girls and reduce gender inequality after the expiry of his Department's Gender Equality Action Plan in March 2011.

Stephen O'Brien: The Department for International Development's (DFID's) business plan sets out how we will lead international action to improve the lives of girls and women in the period 2011-15 including by:
	improving maternal health and access to family planning;
	increasing the number of girls completing primary and secondary education;
	promoting their economic empowerment through jobs and access to financial services; and
	tackling violence against women and girls.
	DFID's business plan is available on the No. 10 website and in the Library of the House.

Overseas Aid: Fraud

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many projects funded through UK official development aid were halted due to misuse of such funds by the recipients in each year since 2007-08.

Andrew Mitchell: Since April 2007, the Department for International Development (DFID) has stopped or withdrawn funds from a total of seven projects or programmes due to fraud or other abuse: one in 2008-09, two in 2009-10, and four to date during 2010-11. The total value withheld or withdrawn was £23 million.
	DFID has rigorous systems and procedures to ensure effective oversight of its funding and to ensure that UK aid achieves maximum value for money-reaching and delivering results for its intended recipients. As I have previously stated, this Government have a zero tolerance approach to fraud, corruption and other misuse. DFID takes the strongest action where any such abuse of taxpayers' funds is proven, including disciplinary, civil or criminal action as appropriate against those responsible.

Overseas Aid: Gift Aid

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate he has made of the aid classified as official development assistance (ODA) provided by UK non-governmental organisations funded through Gift Aid contributions in each year since 2007-08; and what method he used to estimate the proportion of UK ODA attributable to gift aided contributions.

Alan Duncan: The level of official development assistance provided by UK non-governmental organisations funded through Gift Aid is published in the Department for International Development's (DFID) annual publication "Statistics on International Development" which is available on the DFID website and in the Library of the House. The relevant figures for 2007-08 to 2009-10 are shown in the following table. These figures are estimated using returns provided by relevant organisations to DFID's Voluntary Agency Survey, conducted annually.
	
		
			  Financial year  £000 
			 2007-08 43,672 
			 2008-09 43,857 
			 2009-10 43,891

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Departmental Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Attorney-General what single tender contracts the Law Officers' Departments have awarded since his appointment; and what the monetary value is of each contract above the EU public procurement threshold.

Dominic Grieve: The CPS has only awarded two single tender contracts since May 2010, the details of which are as follows:
	A contract for the services of a Management Receiver was awarded to a firm in December 2010. At the time of the award specific details of the case were confidential, and an open tender may have jeopardised an ongoing criminal investigation. The firm was selected from a short-list of companies who were successfully appointed to a framework contract for Management Receivers in 2010. The firm chosen to complete the work was selected based on their experience of similar work. The value of the contract is dependant on the final value of the assets confiscated.
	A contract for legal advisory services was awarded in September 2010. The timeframe and complex nature of the work meant that it was appropriate to award a single tender contract. The value of the contract is estimated at £24,000.
	The Treasury Solicitor's Department (Tsol) internal threshold for applying a competitive process to the purchase of goods and services is £3,000. Purchases with a value below this figure are subject to a single quotation/tender and value for money check, however it is not possible to identify most of the individual contracts which fall into this category without incurring a disproportionate cost.
	The majority, by value, of purchases made by Tsol are for legal services. Tsol uses the Attorney-General's Panel Counsel (barristers) and the Litigation Catalogue (solicitor agents and litigation support services) to call-off services-both of these have been subject to competition and are managed by the Department.
	Where legal services could not be commissioned from these two panels the work may have been awarded subject to comparable quotations. However, where the legal timetable or specific nature of the matter made it unrealistic, or significantly more costly, to seek more than one quotation the services will have been secured under a single tender arrangement. Legal services are classified as Part B services under the EU Procurement Rules which largely exempts them from the competition obligations under the EU Public Service Contracts Regulations.
	Tsol awarded a contract for the supply of additional office furniture under a single tender process in December 2010 to Herman Miller for office furniture with a value of up to £30,000 over the next three years, this fell under the EU public procurement threshold. No other single awards have been made.
	The remaining Law Officers' Departments have not awarded any single tender contracts during this period.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Departmental Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what single tender contracts his Department has awarded since his appointment; and what the monetary value is of each contract above the EU public procurement threshold.

Owen Paterson: A single tender contract was awarded in October 2010 by the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims Remains as part of the successful search for the remains of Peter Wilson, one of the disappeared. My Department considered this to be appropriate due to the specialised demands of the work and the security risks associated with an open tender process. The contract was below the EU public procurement threshold.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Canada: Animal Cruelty

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will meet his Canadian counterpart to discuss animal cruelty in the operation of rodeos; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: Ministers currently have no plans to raise this issue with their Canadian counterparts. Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials have made their Canadian counterparts aware of public concern in the UK about the practice of calf-roping at rodeos.

Departmental Communication

Alok Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he has taken to reduce jargon and promote plain English in Departmental communications.

Alistair Burt: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) aims to be as clear as possible in all its communication. Ministers and the FCO Board launched a diplomatic excellence initiative in November 2010 which will ensure there is a sharper focus on the use of precise, accurate English and avoiding jargon.

Departmental Official Cars

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department has spent on services supplied by the Government Car Service since May 2010.

Alistair Burt: Foreign and Commonwealth Office expenditure on all car services provided by the Government Car and Despatch Agency covering use by officials and Ministers during the period 1 May 2010 to date is £121,000.

Departmental Public Appointments

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many  (a) women and  (b) men have been appointed to public duties by his Department since May 2010.

Alistair Burt: Four public appointments have been made since May 2010, to three men and one woman. These roles were four new Commissioners to the Marshall Aid Commemoration Commission (MACC).

Departmental Public Appointments

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what public appointments he has made since his appointment; and to what payments each person so appointed is entitled.

Alistair Burt: The Foreign Secretary has appointed four new Commissioners to the Marshall Aid Commemoration Commission (MACC). The MACC is a non-departmental public body of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. These positions are all unpaid.

Departmental Responsibilities

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what new  (a) units and  (b) teams have been established in his Department since May 2010; and what the (i) name, (ii) purpose, (iii) staffing level and (iv) budget for the first 12 months of operation is in each case.

Alistair Burt: As required, we readjust the size, staffing and structure of teams within the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to meet our operational needs. We do not keep central records of each adjustment, and the information sought could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Wines

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department has spent on wine since May 2010.

Henry Bellingham: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for West Bromwich East (Mr Watson) on 29 November 2010,  Official Report, column 552W. Since then, Government Hospitality has spent £15,039 on replenishing stocks of English and French white wines.

Diplomatic Service: Recruitment

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will take steps to increase the proportion of British ambassadorial posts recruited through open competition.

Alistair Burt: It is the normal practice for senior ambassadorial appointments to be made through competition open to members of all Government Departments. A recruitment process is currently under way for the position of consul general New York which is also open to applicants from outside the civil service. While there is a recruitment freeze for the civil service, jobs may only be opened to external recruitment in exceptional cases.

Senior Civil Servants

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the  (a) name and  (b) salary is of each senior civil servant who has (i) moved posts within and (ii) left his Department since May 2010.

Alistair Burt: Under the Data Protection Principles in the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA), it is not possible to disclose the names or positions of each individual staff member. It would breach the fair processing principle: that the individual to whom the personal data relates has a reasonable expectation that the Department will hold that information in confidence.
	Providing data on the salaries of the senior civil servants who have moved posts within the Foreign and Commonwealth Office since May 2010 would be possible only at disproportionate cost. 28 senior civil servants have left the Department since May 2010.

Sri Lanka: Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has received on the access afforded by the Sri Lankan authorities to the BBC to report on the proceedings of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission in that country.

Alistair Burt: Our high commission in Colombo regularly raises issues of concern relating to freedom of expression with the Sri Lankan Government, including on the issue of media access to the conflict-affected areas. Our high commission in Colombo is in regular contact with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) correspondent in Sri Lanka. However, we have not received any representation from the BBC asking for our assistance on this issue.

WOMEN AND EQUALITIES

Departmental Public Appointments

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what public appointments she has made since her appointment; and to what payments each person so appointed is entitled.

Lynne Featherstone: The Minister for Women and Equalities has made no public appointments since the coalition Government took office.
	However, the Government Equalities Office (GEO) will shortly begin a campaign to recruit a new Commissioner to the Equality and Human Rights Commission. The remuneration for this post will be £500 per day for 20 to 30 days per year.
	Government have set themselves the aspiration that by the end of the Parliament at least 50% of all appointees being made to the boards of public bodies will be women. Appointments will continue to be made on merit and Government will step up their efforts to attract qualified women to public positions and ensure that working practices and conditions are family-friendly. GEO and Cabinet Office are developing an action plan to support Departments to achieve more diverse appointments which will be published shortly.

Small Businesses: Pay

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities whether she has made an assessment of the effects on small businesses of a requirement to publish the salaries of male and female employees.

Lynne Featherstone: The Government are working with a range of key partners to develop a voluntary approach to equality reporting, including pay. Its purpose is to help employers recognise how to make the most of the talent available and to help individuals make the most of their skills and experience. The Government Equalities Office has no plans to require small businesses to publish the salaries of their employees and therefore has not made such an assessment.

UN Commission on the Status of Women

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities who will assume the responsibilities formerly carried out by the Women's National Commission representative at the forthcoming meeting of the UN Commission on the Status of Women in February 2011.

Lynne Featherstone: We remain committed to continuing the strong, productive and fully engaged relationship with UK non-governmental organisations (NGOs) attending the 55th Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW).
	The upcoming CSW session provides a timely opportunity to set in motion our plans for a more direct mechanism for engaging with women across the UK under a new model, including revitalising communication on international matters. A pre-CSW briefing meeting with Government officials and NGO representatives attending the CSW took place on 19 January. Building on that, the Government Equalities Office will continue to keep NGOs updated on UN developments and NGO co-ordination arrangements in the following weeks.
	Moving forward, we will be consulting on the new model shortly and look forward to welcoming the views from the women's sector on how we might effectively engage with them on international priorities more widely.

JUSTICE

Courts: Closures

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what information his Department holds on the number of  (a) people,  (b) people of pensionable age and  (c) disabled people in the area served by each court proposed for closure who live further than one hour's travel by public transport from the proposed receiving court.

Jonathan Djanogly: The consultation response documents detail the percentage of the population in each area estimated to be within a 60 minute public transport commute of receiving courts. Due to the size and complexity of the data it would be necessary to analyse in order to estimate the number of people within each area who are of pensionable age or who are disabled and who live further than one hour's travel from a receiving court, such estimates have not been made.
	The Equality Impact Assessments (EIAs) that accompany each of the 16 HMCS area consultation responses papers identify the potential impacts of the court estate reform programme on different communities and groups of people.

Courts: Translation Services

Kwasi Kwarteng: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he is taking to minimise the cost of interpretation in the court system.

Crispin Blunt: The Government propose making changes to the provision of interpretation and translation services across the justice sector, including the courts. We are currently engaging with the market to explore how interpretation and translation can be delivered more efficiently without compromising quality. The exercise is a "competitive dialogue" process which allows us to explore with potential providers the best way for them to meet our requirements. The written ministerial statement I issued on 15 September 2010,  Official Report, column 46WS, provides more details.

Drug Testing Treatment Orders

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people have been subject to drug testing treatment orders since their inception; and how many people were subject to such an order in the latest period for which figures are available.

Crispin Blunt: The drug treatment and testing order (DTTO) was rolled-out to courts across England and Wales from October 2000. From April 2005, the drug rehabilitation requirement (DRR) gradually replaced the DTTO as the primary means for adult offenders to address their drug misuse as part of a community order or suspended sentence order.
	The number of DTTOs and DRRs made in each year since October 2000 is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Drug treatment and testing orders (DTTOs)/drug rehabilitation requirements (DRRs) commencements 
			   Number 
			 2000-01(1) 1,256 
			 2001-02 4,854 
			 2002-03 6,145 
			 2003-04 8,519 
			 2004-05 10,323 
			 2005-06 14,001 
			 2006-07 15,798 
			 2007-08 16,607 
			 2008-09 17,642 
			 2009-10 15,762 
			 (1) Six months only (October 2000-March 2001). 
		
	
	These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems which may be amended at any time. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.

Enforcement: Fees and Charges

Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans he has to reform the fee structure for enforcement agents in the UK.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Government have given a commitment to provide more protection against aggressive bailiffs. We are preparing a consultation paper focusing on powers of entry, better regulation and costs of enforcement-related services.

Members: Correspondence

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay of  (a) 17 November and  (b) 14 December 2010 regarding a constituent, Mr Allison.

Kenneth Clarke: I will reply to the hon. Member as soon as possible.
	 Substantive answer from Kenneth Clarke to John Baron:
	The settlement of the Guantanamo civil damages cases and correspondence on the subject is a matter for Cabinet Office. Cabinet Office will therefore respond to these letters.

Offenders

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department spent on doctor's notes for offenders on community sentences in each of the last three years.

Paul Burstow: I have been asked to reply.
	It is not clear what is meant by the term 'doctor's notes'. If the question refers to sickness certificates then this information is not collected centrally. Also, the general practitioner would not necessarily know that their patient was an offender on community service.

Prison Accommodation

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what his Department's policy on target searching within the prison estate  (a) is and  (b) was in May 2010;
	(2)  how many target searches there were on the prison estate in  (a) November 2009 and  (b) November 2010.

Crispin Blunt: Prisons have always been required to examine specific security risks in their establishments and to set out a local strategy for dealing with those risks. Intelligence-led, targeted searches of specific prisoners or prison areas is one important and productive aspect of this strategy that has always been encouraged in prisons.
	Since May 2010 the National Offender Management Service has removed the requirement for prisons outside of the High Security Estate to conduct routine searches in certain areas of the prison. By doing this, in appropriate circumstances, prisons are able to set more effective local searching strategies by moving away from routine searching, which can be predictable and unproductive, and instead concentrate resources on more targeted searches driven by intelligence or other local need. Prisons are required to carry out a local risk assessment to determine if a programme of routine cell searching is required and if so the extent of this. Local searching strategies are documented by each prison and agreed with the regional manager.
	Data on targeted searches are not available centrally and to provide this information would require every establishment in England and Wales to collate this information which could be done only at disproportionate cost.

Prison Accommodation: Television

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the  (a) total cost and  (b) average cost per set to the prison service of providing television sets in prison cells in the latest period for which figures are available.

Crispin Blunt: The cost of providing television sets in prison cells is met from the revenue generated by the weekly charge paid by prisoners for the rental of television sets from the prison service. There is therefore no cost to the prison service.

Prisoners

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners there were in each prison in each of the last three years; and how many visitors there were to each prison in that period.

Crispin Blunt: The prison population by establishment as on 30 June of each year from 2008-10 is provided in the following table.
	The prison population figures provided in the reply are published by the Ministry of Justice and can be found free of charge at the Department's website via the following:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/populationincustody.htm
	The number of visitors to each prison establishment is not recorded or centrally collated. Information is held at individual prisons in varying formats and the total number could be supplied only at disproportionate cost.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
	
		
			  Prison population, England and Wales, as at 30 June, by establishment and year 
			  Establishments  2008  2009  2010 
			 Acklington 909 940 930 
			 Albany(1) 558 554 n/a 
			 Altcourse 1,265 1,314 1,261 
			 Ashfield 397 338 275 
			 Ashwell 546 200 214 
			 Askham Grange 104 122 121 
			 Aylesbury 437 433 433 
			 Bedford 500 461 487 
			 Belmarsh 914 897 833 
			 Birmingham 1,439 1,444 1,475 
			 Blantyre House 118 118 121 
			 Blundeston 526 514 522 
			 Brinsford 525 521 565 
			 Bristol 612 607 607 
			 Brixton 798 792 751 
			 Bronzefield 457 439 479 
			 Buckley Hall 379 377 380 
			 Bullingdon 996 1,081 1,097 
			 Bullwood Hall 213 229 224 
			 Bure(2) n/a n/a 520 
			 Camp Hill(1) 589 566 n/a 
			 Canterbury 302 295 295 
			 Cardiff 755 819 794 
			 Castington 398 371 191 
			 Channings Wood 726 722 709 
			 Chelmsford 695 692 656 
			 Coldingley 385 506 505 
			 Cookham Wood 34 86 112 
			 Dartmoor 646 620 585 
			 Deerbolt 443 431 478 
			 Doncaster 1,141 1,103 1,071 
			 Dorchester 228 226 220 
			 Dovegate 840 848 1,127 
			 Dover 304 310 311 
			 Downview 353 340 326 
			 Drake Hall 262 261 302 
			 Durham 925 958 916 
			 East Sutton Park 89 88 82 
			 Eastwood Park 316 317 318 
			 Edmunds Hill 365 369 376 
			 Elmley(3) 991 954 n/a 
			 Erlestoke 465 468 464 
			 Everthorpe 678 674 664 
			 Exeter 507 531 530 
			 Featherstone 684 682 643 
			 Feltham 629 680 664 
			 Ford 532 529 539 
			 Forest Bank 1,152 1,144 1,344 
			 Foston Hall 259 217 245 
			 Frankland 729 734 821 
			 Full Sutton 580 577 589 
			 Garth 807 817 835 
			 Gartree 576 678 671 
			 Glen Parva 811 793 720 
			 Gloucester 298 287 289 
			 Grendon (Spring Hill) 504 516 550 
			 Guys Marsh 575 575 552 
			 Haslar 144 151 116 
			 Haverigg 634 629 625 
			 Hewell(4) 1,421 1,344 1,374 
			 High Down 1,109 1,073 1,047 
			 Highpoint 807 930 939 
			 Hindley 494 289 331 
			 Hollesley Bay (Warren Hill) 337 334 354 
			 Holme House 979 948 1,046 
			 Holloway 490 428 416 
			 Hull 1,036 1,018 1,000 
			 Huntercombe 347 260 65 
			 Isle of Wight(1) n/a n/a 1,640 
			 Kennet 336 336 341 
			 Kingston (Portsmouth) 198 175 198 
			 Kirkham 589 568 589 
			 Kirklevington Grange 279 270 271 
			 Lancaster Castle 234 228 237 
			 Lancaster Farms 521 493 502 
			 Latchmere House 204 193 191 
			 Leeds 984 1,157 1,114 
			 Leicester 363 357 345 
			 Lewes 682 664 469 
			 Leyhill 497 492 520 
			 Lincoln 706 670 573 
			 Lindholme 1,069 1,114 1,102 
			 Littlehey 717 711 1,031 
			 Liverpool 1,371 1,337 1,245 
			 Long Lartin 438 537 612 
			 Lowdham Grange 679 685 880 
			 Low Newton 297 311 243 
			 Maidstone 479 590 586 
			 Manchester 1,196 1,226 1,206 
			 Moorland 1,018 1,012 1,018 
			 Morton Hall 370 328 284 
			 New Hall 427 370 375 
			 North Sea Camp 312 303 309 
			 Northallerton 241 232 230 
			 Norwich 542 502 749 
			 Nottingham 550 545 898 
			 Onley 638 692 692 
			 Parc 1,179 1,175 1,085 
			 Parkhurst(1) 494 491 n/a 
			 Pentonville 1,148 1,105 1,198 
			 Peterborough 994 950 948 
			 Portland 614 553 468 
			 Preston 727 746 753 
			 Ranby 1,072 1,054 1,062 
			 Reading 240 242 257 
			 Risley 1,077 1,080 1,085 
			 Rochester 388 647 723 
			 Rye Hill 635 654 611 
			 Send 275 278 273 
			 Sheppey Cluster (Elmley)(3) n/a n/a 1,134 
			 Sheppey Cluster (Standford Hill)(3) n/a n/a 444 
			 Sheppey Cluster (Swaleside)(3) n/a n/a 1,105 
			 Shepton Mallet 185 188 189 
			 Shrewsbury 323 290 313 
			 Stafford 679 735 730 
			 Standford Hill(3) 442 450 n/a 
			 Stocken 796 807 833 
			 Stoke Heath 619 580 595 
			 Styal 440 450 441 
			 Sudbury 563 570 578 
			 Swaleside(3) 767 826 n/a 
			 Swansea 423 398 421 
			 Swinfen Hall 614 616 611 
			 The Mount 763 763 769 
			 The Verne 591 589 579 
			 The Wolds 371 388 380 
			 Thorn Cross 233 301 288 
			 Usk (Prescoed) 416 426 423 
			 Wakefield 735 735 733 
			 Wandsworth 1,645 1,675 1,569 
			 Warren Hill 214 188 180 
			 Wayland 966 1,000 1,001 
			 Wealstun 524 517 613 
			 Wellingborough 641 628 540 
			 Wellington 137 130 126 
			 Wetherby 310 360 318 
			 Wharton 820 840 794 
			 Whitemoor 414 444 449 
			 Winchester 554 689 680 
			 Woodhill 822 809 757 
			 Wormwood scrubs 1,270 1,293 1,273 
			 Wymott 1,073 1,127 1,141 
			 Total 83,194 83,454 85,022 
			 Police cells n/a n/a n/a 
			 Establishment and police cell total 83,194 83,454 85,022 
			 n/a = Not applicable. (1) HMP Albany is now part of the organisational amalgamation of the former HMPs Camp Hill and Parkhurst. They now form HMP The Isle of Wight from 1 April 2009. (2) HMP Bure opened in November 2009. (3) HMP Elmley forms part of The Sheppey Cluster, an amalgamation of HMP Standford Hill and HMP Swaleside. (4) HMP Hewell was created by an amalgamation of the three former prisons, Brockhill and Hewell Grange on 25 June 2008.

Prisons: Drugs

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice in which Prison Service region the most  (a) class A and  (b) class B drugs were detected in prisons in 2009-10.

Crispin Blunt: The best measure of drug misuse in prisons is the random mandatory drug testing (rMDT) programme, which detects drug misuse among prisoners. The following table gives the class A and B results from the rMDT programme in 2009-10, broken down by prison region and type of drug identified.
	
		
			  Random mandatory drug testing: 1 April 2009 to 31 March 2010 
			Number of tests positive by class A and B drug groups 
			  Region  Number of tests conducted  Cannabis  Opiates( 1)  Cocaine  Methadone  Amphetamines  Barbiturates  LSD 
			 East Midlands 7,075 170 166 5 11 0 0 0 
			 Eastern 5,687 126 149 5 16 0 2 0 
			 High Security 3,612 57 116 2 3 0 0 0 
			 London 3,912 287 132 6 24 1 2 0 
			 North East 3,117 94 65 10 23 2 0 0 
			 North West 7,844 292 256 9 12 0 0 0 
			 South East 9,629 279 262 10 21 6 2 0 
			 South West 4,766 133 148 4 28 0 0 0 
			 Wales 1,904 69 52 2 1 2 0 0 
			 West Midlands 5,442 116 130 2 25 0 2 0 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 5,441 131 142 4 23 0 0 0 
			 Total 58,429 1,754 1,618 59 187 11 8 0 
			 (1) Includes some positives for dihydrocodiene and codeine which, for these purposes, are exempt from the Misuse of Drugs Act. 
		
	
	Prisons also record the number of seizures of drugs. The following table gives the number and type of class A and B seizures in 2009-10, broken down by region. Many seizures are similar in appearance and where not attributable are not categorically identified by scientific analysis. These data differ slightly to those recently provided for a similar question answered on 24 January 2011,  Official Report, column 44W. The difference is attributable to the live nature of the data systems interrogated to obtain the data, and the complexity of that interrogation.
	
		
			  Class A and B drug finds in prisons in England and Wales: 1 April 2009 to 31 March 2010 
			Finds by drug group 
			  Region  Total number of finds  Amphetamines  Barbiturates  Cannabis  Cocaine  Heroin  LSD 
			 East Midlands 239 5 0 158 7 68 1 
			 Eastern 205 1 1 133 7 62 1 
			 High Security Estate 59 8 0 22 7 21 1 
			 London 142 0 0 106 10 26 0 
			 North East 169 27 3 87 27 24 1 
			 North West 694 11 1 444 62 176 0 
			 South East 233 7 0 162 6 58 0 
			 South West 206 6 1 90 9 99 1 
			 Wales 83 6 0 45 2 30 0 
			 West Midlands 129 2 0 68 5 54 0 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 169 15 0 109 4 41 0 
			 Total 2,328 88 6 1,424 146 659 5 
		
	
	The prisoner population, number and type of prisons vary in each prison region and so regional figures are not directly comparable.
	All figures in this answer have been drawn from live administrative data systems which may be amended at any time. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system. The data are not subject to audit.

Prisons: Visits

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many visitors to prisons in England and Wales were found to be in possession of mobile telephones in areas where visitors are not permitted to carry such telephones in 2009-10.

Crispin Blunt: In order to provide the information requested, we would need to contact all Prison Service establishments, ask them to check their local records and to submit this information to headquarters. This would incur disproportionate cost.

Tribunals: Colchester

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 19 January 2011,  Official Report, column 822W, on tribunals: Colchester, how many tribunals were held in Colchester under the chairmanship of Mrs M.A. Hampshire in the last 12 months; and how many appeals were  (a) upheld and  (b) dismissed under her chairmanship.

Jonathan Djanogly: It is not possible to provide the hon. Member with the information sought because it is derived from court records and its disclosure could prejudice the administration of justice.

EDUCATION

Children's Workforce Development Council

Margot James: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has for the future of the Children's Workforce Development Council.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education will cease to fund work force development activity through the Children's Workforce Development Council (CWDC), and will bring its ongoing core activities into the Department. The transfer of work is expected to be completed within the next 18 months, when CWDC's status as a non-departmental public body will cease. CWDC as a company and employer-led body will be free to seek alternative funding.

Departmental Redundancy

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the redundancy bill for his Department in each of the next five financial years.

Tim Loughton: holding answer 21 January 2011
	As the Department is still in the process of working through the details on the level of work force needed to deliver the coalition Government's education agenda in future years, the likely costs attached to the early release of staff has yet to be finalised.

Discretionary Learner Support Fund: Poplar

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will make an assessment of the likely effects on young people in Poplar and Limehouse constituency of his proposed replacement scheme for education maintenance allowance.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 20 December 2010
	We are committed to making sure that young people from low income households can continue in education and training post-16. We are considering the replacement for the education maintenance allowance and want to ensure that the funds we have are targeted on those young people who most need support to enable them to continue in education.

Education Maintenance Allowance

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent estimate his Department has made of the effects on the level of  (a) attendance and  (b) attainment of students of receiving education maintenance allowance.

Nick Gibb: We have looked at the extensive evaluation evidence relating to the education maintenance allowance (EMA) pilots, which indicated that the scheme would increase participation of 16-year-olds by 3.8 percentage points and of 17-year-olds by 4.1 percentage points nationally. The pilot evaluation also indicated an increase in overall attainment at level 2 and level 3 by around 2.5 percentage points for females and 2 percentage points for males.
	While these outcomes are very welcome, other research commissioned by the previous Administration suggest that around 90% of the young people who receive EMA would still have participated in education if the scheme was not available.
	We are committed to making sure that young people from low income households can continue in education and training post-16. We are considering the replacement for the education maintenance allowance and want to ensure that the funds we have are targeted on those young people who most need support to enable them to continue in education.

IGCSE

Daniel Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will take steps to remove the distinction in nomenclature between  (a) the IGCSE and  (b) the Certificate Level 1/2.

Nick Gibb: The rules pertaining to the naming of qualifications are a matter for Ofqual, the independent exams regulator. Dennis Opposs, Director of Standards at Ofqual, has written to my hon. Friend and a copy of his reply has been placed in the House Libraries.
	 Letter from Dennis Opposs, dated 22 December 2010:
	Further to your Parliamentary Question seeking the removal of the distinction between the IGCSE and the Level 1/2 Certificate I am writing to clarify the position of Ofqual on this issue. Our position is essentially based on clarity and expectations.
	Under the 'Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act (2009)' Ofqual will accredit qualifications that meet the relevant published criteria. There are currently no criteria for qualifications titled 'IGCSE'. Use of this title could create unfounded expectations amongst users (learners, employers, schools and colleges) of the consistency with GCSE requirements. For example, users might expect that a qualification in French would include ail four of the skill areas: speaking, listening, reading and writing. This inclusion is a requirement at GCSE but not a feature of all IGCSE qualifications. Such differences may be confusing to users. On this basis, Ofqual and the regulators for Wales and Northern Ireland have decided that the title 'IGCSE' will not be accepted for accreditation purposes at this time.
	I can confirm that the awarding organisation Cambridge International Examinations has a number of qualifications accredited by the regulators as Level 1/2 Certificates and markets them under the title 'IGCSE'. Some of these qualifications are approved for use in maintained schools and colleges in England through inclusion in the Section 96 list maintained by the Department for Education. Likewise the awarding organisation Edexcel has submitted to us for accreditation some Level 1/2 Certificates derived from their unregulated 'IGCSE' qualifications offered in other countries.
	Level 1/2 Certificates may not cover the requirements of the Programmes of Study in subjects where they exist but in carrying out the accreditation review of these qualifications we focus on the need for equivalence in demand of the teaching, learning and assessment requirements in comparison to the national GCSE qualification suite.
	I trust that this clarifies the current situation and the stance taken by Ofqual to ensure clarity for users and consistency of demand across qualifications. Should you require any further information about this or the workings of Ofqual, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether compliance with the recommendations on financial education as part of Personal, Social and Health Education for Key Stages 1 to 4 is mandatory for schools.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 17 January 2011
	We want all schools to provide high-quality financial management education as part of Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education. The key processes on financial capability as set out in the PSHE economic well-being and financial capability programmes of study at key stages 3 and 4 are non-statutory.

Schools: Absenteeism

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  if he will take steps to discourage extended unauthorised absences from school;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the effect of the extension of family leave on school attainment figures; and whether his Department takes into account family leave absences when assessing school performance;
	(3)  what analysis he has made of the effect on the level of unauthorised absence from schools of the extension of family leave from 14 to 21 days.

Nick Gibb: Good discipline and regular attendance at school is essential to ensure that all pupils can benefit from the opportunities provided by education. It is this Government's intention to restore the authority of teachers and head teachers so they can establish a culture of excellence in their school. School should be a place where there is good behaviour in the classroom, where pupils feel safe, give respect and are respected in turn, and want to come to school to learn.
	There has been no change to the regulations that govern the amount of family leave that can be granted. The Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006 state that a pupil may be granted leave of absence from school to enable them to go away on holiday but that, save for exceptional circumstances, they should not be granted more than 10 school days leave of absence in any school year.
	Head teachers and local councils already have powers to issue penalty notices (fines of £50 to £100) to parents who fail to ensure their children's regular school attendance, which includes taking them on holiday during term time without the school's permission. Alternatively, local councils can prosecute parents under section 444 of the Education Act 1996. If parents are found guilty of the offence the Act provides for heavier sanctions where the parent condoned their children's absence from school, as in the case of taking them out of school on an extended family holiday without permission. The court can fine parents up to £2,500 and or give a prison sentence of up to three months. The parent will also get a criminal record. Prosecutions should be used as a last resort by local councils as in most cases a penalty notice will be a sufficient sanction to deter parents.
	The Department publishes absence and attainment data for schools as part of the annual Schools Performance Tables. The recently published Primary School (Key Stage 2) Performance Tables included schools overall absence, persistent absence and unauthorised absence data. The Secondary Schools (Key Stage 4) Performance Tables are due for publication in January 2011.
	Ofsted, as part of their inspection criteria, will also look at trends in a school's absence data when considering school inspections.

Schools: Sports

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many school sports hall facilities were  (a) built and  (b) refurbished in (i) England, (ii) the West Midlands and (iii) Dudley borough in each of the last 10 years.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 20 December 2010
	The Department does not hold information on the number of school sports hall facilities built or refurbished over each of the past 10 years.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Departmental Communication

Alok Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what measures she has undertaken to reduce jargon and promote plain English in departmental communications.

Richard Benyon: As a Department that deals with technical and scientific issues, some use of acronyms and abbreviations is inevitable. Nevertheless, DEFRA is committed to the use of clear English in all its external and internal communications. There are pages dedicated to the use of clear English on the DEFRA intranet which all staff are encouraged to read.
	DEFRA staff who specialise in external communications receive additional guidance or training on the importance of clear English.

Fishing Catches: North Sea

Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will estimate the tonnage of fish discarded in respect of each of the five most common fish species discarded by trawlers operating in the North Sea registered  (a) in the UK and  (b) in other EU member states; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: The Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF) of the European Commission compiles data on landings and discards of the main commercial species by fishing gear type. The following estimates of landings and discards by trawlers are based on the STECF data. The estimates cover the three most recent years for which data have been published. Estimates for the two main types of trawl gear (demersal trawls and beam trawls) are given separately.
	
		
			  Cod 
			Beam trawl  Demersal trawl 
			UK  Other member state s  UK  Other member state s 
			 2006 Landings (t) 260 2,999 7,556 6,852 
			  Discards (t) 30 729 2,265 7,514 
			   
			 2007 Landings (t) 180 2,593 7,424 6,349 
			  Discards (t) 9 210 6,785 13,586 
			   
			 2008 Landings (t) 104 2,852 7,896 6,421 
			  Discards (t) 35 1,115 12,454 7,857 
		
	
	
		
			  Haddock 
			Beam trawl  Demersal trawl 
			UK  Other member state s  UK  Other member state s 
			 2006 Landings (t) 5 92 32,014 3,355 
			  Discards (t) 0 5 14,425 2,408 
			   
			 2007 Landings (t) 5 128 26,137 3,453 
			  Discards (t) 0 2 25,819 4,726 
			   
			 2008 Landings (t) 1 73 26,823 2,797 
			  Discards (t) 0 9 11,897 1,876 
		
	
	
		
			  Plaice 
			Beam trawl  Demersal trawl 
			UK  Other member state s  UK  Other member state s 
			 2006 Landings (t) 9,800 33,752 2,722 13,615 
			  Discards (t) 2,788 25,800 1,616 10,982 
			   
			 2007 Landings (t) 9,085 30,986 2,547 11,505 
			  Discards (t) 4,280 20,863 920 4,165 
			   
			 2008 Landings (t) 6,943 27,700 4,618 14,647 
			  Discards (t) 3,301 19,853 1,433 4,538 
		
	
	
		
			  Saithe 
			Beam trawl  Demersal trawl 
			UK  Other member state s  UK  Other member state s 
			 2006 Landings (t) 0 12 9,193 38,119 
			  Discards (t) 0 0 2,928 9,676 
			   
			 2007 Landings (t) 1 10 9,406 32,699 
			  Discards (t) 0 0 8,639 24,051 
			   
			 2008 Landings (t) 0 4 11,802 38,276 
			  Discards (t) 0 2 3,856 20,207 
		
	
	
		
			  Whiting 
			Beam trawl  Demersal trawl 
			UK  Other member state s  UK  Other member state s 
			 2006 Landings (t) 58 162 10,773 5,791 
			  Discards (t) 40 160 5,971 10,234 
			   
			 2007 Landings (t) 25 112 11,230 5,956 
			  Discards (t) 86 450 3,893 5,387 
			   
			 2008 Landings (t) 8 144 10,071 5,651 
			  Discards (t) 25 701 5,879 7,538

Fishing Catches: North Sea

Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what steps she is taking to reduce the number of non-target fish species discarded in the North Sea by trawlers registered in the UK and other EU member states; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  whether she is considering any proposals to allow the landing of by-catch that would otherwise be discarded; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: Discards are a clear waste of natural resources. To minimise discards by all types of vessels throughout UK seas we are working at a European level to radically reform the common fisheries policy (CFP). However the UK is not awaiting the results of this reform to take action. There have been a number of initiatives aimed at reducing discards, including trialling an alternative "catch quota" management system which is based on managing and monitoring what is caught-not just what is landed. This trial had positive results; reducing discards, increasing selectivity and allowing fishermen to land more and will provide useful evidence for the reform of the CFP.
	While landing by-catch that would otherwise be discarded would reduce the problem of discards it would not avoid by-catch in the first instance. Our preference has always been to make fishing more selective, thus tackling the root of this wasteful practice and reducing mortality of non-target fish. Project 50%, a collaborative project between fishermen in the south-west and Government, has led to improved selectivity of fishing gear and less by-catch.

Fishing Catches: North Sea

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the  (a) economic and  (b) environmental effects on (i) the fishing fleet in the North East and (ii) the North Sea of the practice of discarding fish in the North Sea; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: The information requested is as follows:
	 (a) The total discard estimate in 2009 (the latest period for which figures are available for those fisheries sampled in UK) is 51,179 tonnes. There are many reasons explaining these discards; however, the current system for recording catch and discard data does not allow us to differentiate (year on year) why each fish is discarded. Despite this, CEFAS analysis, conducted in 2010 on the 2008 English and Welsh discard data, estimated that:
	54% (13,230 tonnes) of total discards were discarded for reasons relating to weak/absent markets (i.e. non-quota species).
	Quota constraints were estimated to account for 22% (5,390 tonnes) of discards (i.e. quota species above the legal minimum landing size).
	24% (5,880 tonnes) of total discards were quota species below the legal minimum landing size (MLS) and were too small to land.
	High grading is another type of discarding where fishermen try to optimise the value of their catches by keeping the good value fish and discarding the poorer value ones. This creates a financial profit for fishermen but is still a waste of fish. A European high grading ban is in place in waters around the UK to prevent this behaviour. Other types of discarding, such as unmarketable species, over quota and under MLS may represent a loss of value to the fishermen and from the fishery.
	Estimates of the financial impacts of discards for the British fleet in specific areas are unreliable. To simply use the average market value of all fish species as a multiplier would give an inaccurate estimate of the financial impact of discards. We do, however, have a more robust study under way looking at the economic impact of discarding fish.
	 (b) The environmental impacts on the ecosystem of discarding fish include the direct effects of discard mortality on fish stocks and the effects of population growth in species that utilise these discards.
	The direct ecological effects of fish mortality through being caught and discarded are inextricably linked to overall fishing mortality. In the North sea, excessive fishing mortality has been shown to:
	Reduce potential yield from the stocks;
	Reduce species diversity;
	Change predator-prey interactions; and
	Change the relative abundance of species.
	A wide range of scavengers, including seabirds and fishes, are known to feed on discards. In the North sea, discarding is estimated to account for up to 10% of the overall annual food consumption of scavengers. This level of contribution is probably sufficient to allow larger populations of these scavenging species to exist than would otherwise be possible. For instance, seabirds are estimated to consume 50% of discarded material; enough potentially to support over six million birds.
	Several seabed dwelling species also utilise discards but evidence for expansion of these populations, as a response to discards, is weak. In general, the full impacts of discarding on marine communities are not well understood, and neither are the consequences of reducing the amount of discarded material. However, it is recognised that removing non-marketable marine organisms from the ecosystem will reduce its health, and is therefore not consistent with good ecosystem management.

Fishing Catches: South East

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of fish caught off the  (a) Sussex and  (b) South East coast was discarded under the provisions of the EU Common Fisheries Policy in the latest period for which figures are available.

Richard Benyon: During 2010, CEFAS scientists joined 12 commercial fishing trips sailing from ports on the south-east coast between Lymington and Ramsgate in order to estimate the quantities of fish discarded during these trips. Eight of these trips were aboard vessels based in the Sussex ports of Rye and Shoreham. Overall, 67% by number of the fish caught were discarded, with the corresponding figure from the Sussex trips being 63%. During these trips, 62 different species of fish were caught.
	Many of these were discarded because there is no market for the species. Only four of the 62 species caught (cod, plaice, Dover sole and whiting) were subject to legal minimum landing sizes and quota restrictions. Discards of these species involved individuals both below and above the minimum landing sizes.

Forests: Crown Lands and Estates

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what land in each constituency the Crown Estate has transferred to the Forestry Commission in each of the last 30 years.

James Paice: In the last 30 years no land in England has been transferred to the Forestry Commission from the Crown Estates.

Natural Gas: Drinking Water

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the extent of risk to drinking water supplies posed by shale gas drilling.

Richard Benyon: The drinking water regulations were changed at the end of 2007 to require water companies to risk assess every drinking water supply and monitor each raw water source on a continual basis. Companies have a duty to take steps to mitigate any potential risks to human health and must notify the Drinking Water Inspectorate of such circumstances. The Chief Inspector of Drinking Water can by notice require further mitigation steps to be taken, or, exceptionally, require that a supply is shut down.
	No risk to human health has been identified by the water company responsible for the one drinking water supply, out of a total of 857 in England and Wales, where shale gas drilling is a feature of the water catchment. Water companies are kept informed by the Environment Agency of changes in activities within drinking water catchments, including shale gas drilling.

Rats

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she has made an assessment of the relationship between the size and growth of the rat population in an area and the frequency of rubbish collections; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: There is no evidence of additional vermin problems associated with well designed alternate weekly collection services.

Recycling

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the relative merits of  (a) deposit refund schemes and  (b) doorstep recycling schemes in increasing recycling rates of beverage containers.

Richard Benyon: The relative merits of both methods are being considered as part of the review of waste policy, in the context of increasing the recycling rates of ail packaging, not just beverage containers.

Retail Trade: Packaging

Alok Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions she has had with businesses on the reduction of the amount of packaging used to distribute and retail goods.

Richard Benyon: As part of the review of waste policy, DEFRA has met with a number of retailers and manufacturers recently to discuss a broad range of waste issues, including the issue of excess packaging.

Rodents: North East

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate her Department has made of the size of the rat population in  (a) Hartlepool and  (b) the North East of England; and what assessment she has made of recent rat population trends.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA does not hold data on the size of the UK rat population or on the rat population in UK regions and towns.
	Data on rodent presence in domestic dwellings are obtained from the English House Condition Survey (EHCS). The EHCS data only provide estimates of the proportions of dwellings with rats present inside or outside. It does not provide definitive data on numbers of rats.
	In May 2010, DEFRA published an interim analysis of rodent presence in domestic properties from the EHCS data for 2005, 2006 and 2007. This reported that the occurrences of rats inside and outside in these years were not significantly different from those observed in 2003.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission: Correspondence

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many items of correspondence were referred to the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission by each hon. Member in 2009-10, listed in descending order of magnitude.

Maria Miller: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and I have seen the response.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many items of correspondence were referred to the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission by each hon. Member in 2009-10, listed in descending order of magnitude.
	Correspondence figures broken down by parliamentary constituency are only available at disproportionate costs. However, the total received in 2009/10 was 16,530.
	I am sorry I am unable to be more helpful.

Child Support Agency

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what timetable he has set for the publication of the client fund accounts of the Child Support Agency.

Maria Miller: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and I have seen the response.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner as the Child Support Agency is now the responsibility of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what timetable he has set for the publication of the client fund accounts of the Child Support Agency.
	Following the transfer of the Child Support Agency's functions to the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission, the Commission undertook an extensive programme of work around client funds to enable the publication of the accounts for 2008/09 and 2009/10. The Commission is confident that this work provides a more accurate picture of maintenance arrears and a more robust view of the arrears that are likely to be collected. While this work has taken longer than expected, the Commission is now working with the National Audit Office to finalise both accounts, and aims to publish them before the end of the financial year.

Disability Living Allowance: Mental Illness

Stuart Andrew: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people  (a) in Leeds and  (b) nationally applied for disability living allowance citing schizophrenia or a psychosis as their disability in each of the last five years; and how many such applications were refused in each such year.

Maria Miller: We are unable to say how many people  (a) in Leeds and  (b) nationally applied for disability living allowance citing schizophrenia or a psychosis as their disability in each of the last five years; and how many such applications were refused in each such year. This because our management information systems do not provide us with our customer's main disabling condition when they apply for disability living allowance or when they have their application refused.

Housing Benefit

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what progress his Department has made on updating the regulations in respect of exempt accommodation for housing benefit; and what timescale he has set for the completion of this work.

Steve Webb: We are undertaking an extensive review of this policy which has involved commissioning independent research and discussions with stakeholders. We set up a working group which included local authorities, housing providers, welfare groups, the Department of Health and the Department for Communities and Local Government to inform the review. The research was published in December(1), and we hope to publish a consultation document on the principles of our proposed way forward in February.
	This is an important but complicated area, and we are aware that the current arrangements can be improved to better reflect the financial needs of customers, local authorities and housing providers. We are aiming to make change from April 2012, and we will seek a solution which balances the needs of all these groups.
	(1) 'Exempt' and supported accommodation:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd5/rports2009-2010/rrep714.pdf

Housing Benefit: East Lothian

Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average amount of housing benefit paid by tenure in East Lothian constituency was in the latest period for which figures are available; what the average amount of local housing allowance paid by tenure in East Lothian constituency was in the latest period for which figures are available; and what proportion of  (a) housing benefit and  (b) local housing allowance recipients in (i) local authority, (ii) housing association and (iii) private sector housing in East Lothian constituency were also in receipt of (A) jobseeker's allowance and (B) employment and support allowance in the latest period for which figures are available.

Steve Webb: The information is not available.

Mortgage Interest Scheme

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent progress his Department has made in negotiations with mortgage lenders on averaging out mortgage rates under the Support for Mortgage Interest scheme.

Steve Webb: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to the hon. Member for Torbay (Mr Sanders) on 17 January 2011, O fficial Report, column 519W.

Personal Income: East Lothian

Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the medium household income was of a family in  (a) social rented sector,  (b) private rented sector and  (c) owner-occupied accommodation in East Lothian constituency (i) before and (ii) after housing costs in the latest period for which figures are available.

Steve Webb: We use Households Below Average Income data to provide estimates of median incomes. However, the sample size of this survey is not sufficient to provide estimates for low-level geographies such as those requested.
	The following table shows the median equivalised disposable household income by tenure for Scotland, before and after housing costs.
	
		
			  Table 1: Median equivalised disposable household income, for families, by tenure for Scotland, three year average 2006-07 to 2008-09, before and after housing costs 
			  Median equivalised weekly disposable household income for families 
			  Tenure type  Before housing costs  After housing costs 
			 Owners 467 424 
			 Social Renters 291 235 
			 Private Renters 346 253 
			  Notes 1. These statistics are based on Households Below Average Income (HBAI) data sourced from the Family Resources Survey (FRS). This uses disposable household income, adjusted using modified OECD equivalisation factors for household size and composition, as an income measure as a proxy for standard of living. 2. All estimates are based on survey data and are therefore subject to uncertainty. Small differences should be treated with caution as these will be affected by sampling error and variability in non-response. 3. The reference period for HBAI figures is single financial years. For countries and regions within the UK, three survey years have been combined as single year estimates are subject to volatility. 4. Weekly incomes are presented in 2008-09 prices and have been rounded to the nearest pound sterling. 5. Families are defined as a single adult or couple living as married and any dependent children, including same sex couples (civil partnerships and cohabitees) from January 2006. A household is made up of one of more families and is defined as a single person or group of people living at the same address as their only or main residence, who either share one meal a day together or share the living accommodation (i.e. a living room). In line with the wording of the question, analysis has been carried out at the family level.  Source: Households Below Average Income (HBAI) 2006-07 to 2008-09

Pregnant Women: Grants

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Sure Start maternity grants were made to mothers for their second or subsequent child in West Lancashire constituency in 2009-10.

Steve Webb: I apologise for the delay in replying which is due to an administrative error.
	A total of 274,000 Sure Start maternity grants were awarded in Great Britain in 2009-10. The exact number of awards for a second or subsequent maternity is not available, but is estimated to be 52% of all awards, around 143,000.
	The number of awards made in 2009-10 is available by Government office region or Jobcentre Plus social fund budget area only, not by constituency.
	 Note:
	Both numbers have been rounded to the nearest 1,000.
	 Source:
	Department for Work and Pensions Social Fund Policy, Budget and Management Information System.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 4 November 2010,  Official Report, columns 936-37W, how many of the calls received by the National Benefit Fraud Hotline in each of the last five years were examined by the Department and passed to  (a) the Fraud Investigation Service or  (b) the customer compliance teams in Jobcentre Plus (i) within 0 to 4 weeks, (ii) within one to two months, (iii) within two to four months, (iv) within four to six months, (v) within six to eight months, (vi) within eight to 10 months, (vii) within 10 to 12 months, (viii) after more than a year, (ix) after more than 15 months and (x) after more than two years.

Chris Grayling: Every call to the National Benefit Fraud Hotline is examined by the Department. The information received is entered immediately on to the IT system and then automatically submitted to either the Fraud Investigation Service or Customer Compliance.
	Referrals initially sent for investigation by the Fraud Investigation Service might subsequently be referred to Customer Compliance for continued action at any time if it is clear that a criminal sanction would not be appropriate.

Social Security Benefits: Teenage Pregnancy

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department paid in benefits to pregnant teenagers in the latest period for which figures are available.

Maria Miller: In 2009-10, the Department paid £26 million in benefits to pregnant teenagers on income support. This is an estimate based on a sample of the Department's administrative records, and relates to Great Britain.
	Similar expenditure statistics for other benefits are not available.

State Retirement Pensions: Uprating

Gordon Birtwistle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  if he will commission research into a system for linking increases in pensions for those aged over 80 years to the rate of inflation;
	(2)  if he will assess the merits of changing the level of increase to pensions for those aged over 80 years to create an even rate of pension increase from retirement.

Steve Webb: We have no plans to commission such research. However, the 25p weekly age addition payable with the state pension for those who have reached 80 needs to be considered alongside the range of other measures and benefits that are available to pensioners.
	These include the free television licence scheme for those over 75. The age-related personal income tax allowance for the over 75s is higher than the standard rate. For the tax year starting on 6 April 2011, pensioners aged 75 or over will not pay tax on incomes under £10,000. The standard winter fuel payment for households with someone aged 80 or over is £300 and £200 for households with someone aged 60 to 79.
	We have met our commitment to restore the earnings link for the basic state pension from April 2011 by introducing the necessary legislation. We have also given a "triple guarantee" that the basic state pension is increased by the highest of the average growth in earnings, price increases or 2.5%.

Universal Credit

Glenda Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how housing costs will be assessed when determining eligibility for universal credit.

Steve Webb: While we are still developing our plans, our aim is to simplify the provision of housing support in universal credit as much as possible.
	As announced in the Budget last year, we will set the amount we pay to support private-rented sector tenants at a level that will generally make the lowest third of market rents affordable. For social-rented sector tenants, we will build on the support provided by the current housing benefit system. We are currently considering whether changes are needed to the existing approach in calculating help with mortgage costs.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Departmental Pay

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what information his Department holds on the number of sub-contracted staff servicing his Department who were not paid at a rate equivalent to or above the London living wage in the latest period for which figures are available.

Bob Neill: The Department does not hold this information.

Departmental Pay

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many employees of his Department who have been appointed since 10 May 2010 have annual salaries greater than  (a) £100,000,  (b) £134,565 and  (c) £142,500.

Bob Neill: The Department has appointed one employee since 10 May 2010 with an annual salary greater than £100,000, that is, the Permanent Secretary, whose salary is greater than £142,500.
	Since May we have also published salary details for all existing staff at director level and above.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department spent on the Government Car Service since May 2010.

Bob Neill: Departmental records show that £307,080 has been spent with the Government Car and Dispatch Agency since May 2010.
	This amount includes expenditure for some services provided before the election.
	In the previous two financial years the Department spent the following:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2009-10 673,636 
			 2008-09 737,821

Departmental Recruitment

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department spent on recruitment advertising in each national newspaper in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Bob Neill: Departmental records show £7,567 (inc. VAT) as having been spent on recruitment advertising in national newspapers in January 2010 which was related to recruitment for lay members of the Residential Property Tribunal Service.
	Expenditure on recruitment advertising in national newspaper by third parties (eg recruitment agencies) could be identified only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Redundancy Pay

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department has spent on redundancy costs since May 2010.

Bob Neill: The Department for Communities and Local Government have made no redundancies since May 2010.

Housing: Standards

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will assess the merits of encouraging local authorities to carry out housing condition surveys to protect tenants from irresponsible landlords; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Stunell: Local authorities have powers, under the Housing Act 2004, to assess the risks and hazards in residential properties using the Housing Health and Safety Rating System. If a property is found to contain serious (category 1) hazards, the local authority has a duty to take the most appropriate action. This could range from trying to deal with the problems informally at first to prohibiting the use of the whole or part of the dwelling. This system provides an important safety net, ensuring that homes are safe and decent. This Government are satisfied that the current legislation achieves the right balance between the rights and obligations of landlords and tenants and have no plans to introduce further regulation in this area.
	It is in a local authority's interest to collect information across all housing tenures through housing condition surveys. The Government do not stipulate the precise detail of local housing condition surveys. It is for local authorities to decide the best approach for their area.

Housing: Standards

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will assess the level of transparency of local authorities in respect of enforcing standards in the private rented housing market; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Stunell: As part of the Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix return local authorities report to my Department the number of private sector (non-registered provider) dwellings with category 1 hazards under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System made free from those hazards as a direct result of local authority action. This information is readily available from the Department for Communities and Local Government website at section B via the following link:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/housingresearch/housingstatistics/housingstatisticsby/localauthorityhousing/dataforms/hssa0910/hssadata200910/
	Transparency is an important Government policy, supporting the decentralisation and localism agendas. Information should be made easily accessible to the public.

Landlord and Tenant

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent estimate he has made of the number of households which rent their home from a private landlord; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Stunell: The most recent estimate, based on data from the English Housing Survey, is that there were 3.1 million households in England renting from private landlords in 2008-09.
	Tenure estimates for 2009-10 are due to be published in the English Housing Survey headline report 2009-10 in late February 2011.

Landlord and Tenant

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what support his Department provides to low-income tenants in disputes with irresponsible landlords; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Stunell: The existing legislative framework for private renting provides safeguards to ensure both landlords and tenants take their responsibilities seriously. Where a private tenant has legitimate concerns, they can obtain help and advice from local authorities who also have extensive powers to tackle poor quality stock or poor management standards in the private rented sector. Tenants can also seek advice from a range of free independent advice organisations-most notably the citizen's advice bureaux, many of which receive funding from local authorities. My Department supports these sources of help through the funding it provides to local authorities.

Social Rented Housing: Waiting Lists

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his most recent estimate is of the number of  (a) people on (i) council housing and (ii) housing association waiting lists and  (b) new homes to be built in the next four years.

Andrew Stunell: Information on social housing waiting lists is collected in terms of the number of households (rather than people). The number of households registered on social housing waiting lists in England as at 1 April 2010 was 1.75 million having risen from 1.02 million in 1997. Where local authorities and housing associations operate a common housing register, households registered with the housing association will be included in this figure. However, housing associations are independent bodies and can keep their own waiting lists. No further information on housing association waiting lists is collected centrally.
	The Department for Communities and Local Government does not make estimates of the number of new homes that will be built in future years.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Animal Experiments

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she plans to improve the welfare standards of animals used in tests for household cleaning products and their ingredients.

Lynne Featherstone: The Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 requires high standards of welfare for all animals used in regulated procedures for all of the purposes listed in Section 5(3) of the Act, including the testing of any product or ingredient to prevent disease, ill-health or abnormalities in man, animals or plants.
	Unless a specific exemption is granted, the animals must be housed and cared for in accordance with the standards which are laid down in the published Guidance on the Operation of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 and two Codes of Practice for the housing and care of animals used in scientific procedures.
	As regards, the testing of household products on animals, the coalition government has pledged to end such testing and we are currently finalising the practical arrangements for its implementation. I expect to announce these arrangements shortly.

Asylum: Children

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many children were detained in  (a) 2007,  (b) 2008 and  (c) 2009 prior to a final determination on a family asylum claim.

Damian Green: The information requested is not centrally recorded and could be obtained by examination of individual case records only at a disproportionate cost.

Asylum: Housing

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 13 January 2011,  Official Report, columns 398-9W, on asylum: housing, what the  (a) minimum and  (b) maximum number of people seeking asylum was that each local authority or local authority consortium has been required to house under contracts with the UK Border Agency in each of the last five years.

Damian Green: The contractual minimum and maximum volumes for each local authority/consortia are shown in the following table. The figures have not changed for the duration of the contracts awarded in 2006.
	
		
			   Minimum  Maximum 
			 Glasgow CC 2,000 2,200 
			 NECCASS 1,250 2,882 
			 Y&H Consortium 3,345 3,885 
			 NW Consortium 500 2,245 
			 Liverpool City Council 185 725 
			 West Midlands Consortium 1,300 1,800 
			 Cardiff City Council 400 1320 
			 Swansea City Council 200 275

Asylum: Housing

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 13 January 2011,  Official Report, columns 398-99W, on asylum: housing, what estimate she has made of the  (a) minimum and  (b) maximum number of people seeking asylum that each local authority or local authority consortium will be required to house under contracts with the UK Border Agency in each of the next five years.

Damian Green: New contracts for the provision of accommodation for eligible asylum seekers are due to be awarded in 2012. Invitations to tender for these contracts will be released in spring this year and we are currently formulating a strategy to deliver best value for the tax-payer. It will be open to local authority consortia to submit tenders under this procurement exercise. We cannot provide estimates of projected minimum and maximum numbers of asylum seekers to be housed by local authority under contract as we cannot pre-empt the outcome of the procurement.

Border Agency: Manpower

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the likely effects on UK Border Agency services of the proposed reduction in its staff numbers by 2015.

Damian Green: The priority of the agency remains to secure the border and to control migration while we play our part in reducing the public deficit. We are committed to programmes such as e-Borders and the Immigration Case Working system that will help to reduce the threat of terrorism, crime and immigration abuse and replace costly and outmoded paper work, respectively. These programmes will help improve our productivity and efficiency and will mean that we can target our resources on those people likely to cause most harm to the UK. As a result the UK Border Agency will be able to deliver its objectives while reducing the budget by up to 20% in real terms over the next four years.

Border Security Agents: Paris

Denis MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many border security agents were stationed in Paris on the most recent date for which figures are available.

Damian Green: The UK Border Agency currently employs 53 officers at Gare du Nord train station in Paris. This information was locally collated in December 2010.

Criminal Records: Vetting

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average time taken to complete a Criminal Record Bureau check was in the latest period for which figures are available.

Lynne Featherstone: In December 2010, the last period for which figures are available, the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) took an average of 24.4 days to complete an enhanced check.

Departmental Redundancy

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff in her Department have been made redundant since May 2010.

Damian Green: The Home Office has not made any staff redundant since May 2010.

DNA: Databases

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what software the Forensic Science Service uses to analyse DNA raw data samples.

James Brokenshire: The Forensic Science Service (FSS) uses a combination of internally developed software and software provided by Applied Biosystems.

Entry Clearances: Carers

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discretion is available to the UK Border Agency to allow adults with special needs to remain in the UK while an application is made for residence, where the main carer of the applicant is a UK citizen with right of residence.

Damian Green: All applicants who submit a valid application to the UK Border Agency for permission to remain in the UK before their previous permission expires are permitted to remain in the UK pending the outcome of that application. Where appropriate, a right of appeal will be given if the application is refused. When an application is made after the expiry of an individual's permission to remain in the UK, the application is made out of time and the applicant is an over-stayer. The UK Border Agency will also consider applications from those whose stay here has lapsed but in the event that the application is refused, there will not be a right of appeal and the person will be considered for removal if they fail to leave voluntarily.

Football: Poland and Ukraine

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the threat from far-right activists to British fans attending the European Football Championships in 2012.

James Brokenshire: Home Office is in close liaison with the authorities in Poland and Ukraine assessing the full range of risks to British fans. No specific assessment has been made of the threat from far-right activists. The safety and security preparations will include a range of assessment to minimise the risk to British fans and police, including any risk from far-right activists.

Forensic Science Service: Criminal Investigation

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment has she made of the likely effects of the closure of the Forensic Science Service on police forces' ability to conclude cold case reviews.

James Brokenshire: As part of the managed wind-down we will ensure steps are taken to safeguard Forensic Science Service (FSS) records so that they can continue to be accessed by police investigating re-opened cases (or 'cold cases'), and to prevent a break in continuity when the company ceases trading.

Forensic Science Service: Criminal Investigation

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cold case reviews the Forensic Science Service has ongoing.

James Brokenshire: The Forensic Science Service (FSS) advises that currently there are approximately 600 cold case reviews in the system. This takes into account new cases for review of forensic potential; those being progressed via new techniques in the laboratory, and those coming to court.

Forensic Science Service: Criminal Investigation

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the number of cold case reviews the Forensic Science Services is likely to have on-going at the point at which it is wound down.

James Brokenshire: It is not possible to provide an accurate projection of how many cold case reviews the Forensic Science Service (FSS) is likely to have on-going at the point at which it is wound down. However, as part of the managed wind-down, the Home Office is working with partners across the Criminal Justice System (CJS) to agree a suitable process for the handling and retention of FSS records so that historical data remains available to the CJS.

Human Trafficking

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what contribution she has made to the review of Government strategy on human trafficking.

Damian Green: I am leading the development of the Government's strategy on human trafficking, in close collaboration with my ministerial colleagues, including my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary in her capacity as the Minister for Women and Equalities.

Illegal Immigrants

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many illegal immigrants  (a) were removed from and  (b) voluntarily departed the UK between July and September 2010.

Damian Green: The table shows the number of removals and voluntary departures between July and September 2010.
	The Home Office publishes statistics on the number of persons removed or departed voluntarily from the UK on a quarterly and annual basis, which are available from the Home Office's Research, Development and Statistics website at:
	www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration-asylum-stats.html
	
		
			  Removals and voluntary departures( 1,2) , from the United Kingdom, by type, July to September 2010 
			  Number of departures( 3) 
			   Enforced removals and voluntary departures   
			   Enforced removals and notified voluntary departures( 4)  Assisted voluntary returns( 5)  Other voluntary departures( 6)  Total  Non-asylum cases refused entry at port and subsequently removed( 7)  Grand total 
			 July 1,700 430 1,245 3,380 1,555 4,935 
			 August 1,690 430 1,250 3,370 1,600 4,975 
			 September 1,730 390 1,145 3,265 1,520 4,785 
			 July to September 5,125 1,250 3,640 10,015 4,675 14,690 
			 (1) Figures are rounded to the nearest 5 and may not sum to the totals shown because of independent rounding. (2) Provisional figures. Figures will under record due to data cleansing and data matching exercises that take place after the extracts are taken. (3) Removals and voluntary departures recorded on the system as at the dates on which the data extracts were taken. (4) Includes persons leaving under Facilitated Return Schemes. (5) Persons leaving under Assisted Voluntary Return Programmes run by the International Organization for Migration. May include some on-entry cases and some cases where enforcement action has been initiated. (6) Persons who it has been established left the UK without informing the immigration authorities. (7) Includes removals performed by Immigration Officers at ports using enforcement powers and cases dealt with at juxtaposed controls.

Immigration

Paul Uppal: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she is taking to monitor the number of people leaving the UK.

Damian Green: Our programme for Government sets out our clear commitment to re-introduce exit checks, which we will do by March 2015, and our clear commitment to e-Borders.
	Through the e-Borders system, we currently check electronically in excess of 55% of all arrivals into and departures from the UK, enabling the law enforcement agencies to mount an appropriate response, while supporting the UK Border Agency's ability to monitor passenger movement numbers.
	We have announced our intention to review by April 2011 the extent to which e-Borders provides a solution to the re-introduction of exit checks.

Immigration Control

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will assess the merits of increasing the fees for the processing of visa applications for economic migrants and visitors to the UK for the purposes of reducing the level of job losses at the UK Border Agency.

Damian Green: The UK Border Agency continues to monitor the visa, immigration and nationality fees paid by migrants and visitors to ensure they make an appropriate contribution to the costs of running the system which the taxpayer continues to support.

Migration Impacts Fund: Scotland

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much funding was allocated to the Scottish Government from the migration impact fund in each of the last three years.

Damian Green: Migration impact funding is allocated to the Scottish Government under the Barnett formula.
	The first allocation under the fund to the Scottish Government was £2.973 million in 2009-10 and a further £1.18 million was allocated in 2010-11 making a total of £4.153 million.
	The fund was not in existence for the year 2008-09 and has since been terminated.

UK Border Agency: Correspondence

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 16 September 2010,  Official Report, columns 1214-5W, on immigration, if she will make arrangements for the collection of statistics by the UK Border Agency on the volume of correspondence received from hon. Members.

Damian Green: The UK Border Agency collects statistics on the number of inquiries made by hon. Members and these are published yearly by the Cabinet Office.
	In the year 2009 the UK Border Agency received 66,320 inquiries by letter or email, and 25,322 inquiries by telephone, a total of 91,642 inquires from Members of Parliament.

Young Offenders: Arrests

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the juvenile violent crime arrest rate was in each  (a) local authority area and  (b) constituency in each year for which figures are available.

James Brokenshire: Data on the number of persons aged 10-17 arrested for violent offences per 1,000 population are provided in the table from 2000-01 to 2008-09. Data broken down by  (a) local authority area and  (b) constituency are not reported to the Home Office, so data broken down by police force area has been provided in lieu.
	The arrests collection began in 1999-2000, however figures have not been provided for that year as reliable breakdowns of the data by age group are not available.
	Data on arrests for 2009-10 are due to be published on 15 April 2011.
	
		
			  Number of persons aged 10-17 arrested for 'violent offences'( 1)  per 1,000 population by police force area, England and Wales 2000-01 to 2008-09 
			  Police force area  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Avon and Somerset 7 5 7 8 11 13 16 16 15 
			 Bedfordshire 9 7 11 15 20 22 21 17 15 
			 Cambridgeshire 10 6 7 8 12 19 18 16 14 
			 Cheshire 8 6 8 7 12 18 16 12 11 
			 Cleveland 14 12 13 15 n/a 19 18 19 17 
			 Cumbria 10 9 11 11 17 19 18 15 20 
			 Derbyshire 13 8 14 16 21 22 20 22 19 
			 Devon and Cornwall 9 8 11 11 12 13 13 13 9 
			 Dorset 9 10 6 8 12 15 16 15 13 
			 Durham n/a n/a n/a 12 18 26 27 27 24 
			 Essex 12 8 9 12 13 15 12 17 15 
			 Gloucestershire 6 6 7 9 10 16 21 19 16 
			 Greater London 17 9 15 17 19 23 28 25 23 
			 Greater Manchester 14 8 14 17 21 26 28 24 21 
			 Hampshire 14 8 13 17 19 19 25 23 19 
			 Hertfordshire 9 6 8 11 16 16 17 15 14 
			 Humberside 11 8 11 12 13 14 15 13 12 
			 Kent 11 6 11 12 13 14 13 13 14 
			 Lancashire 19 12 16 24 32 32 31 26 21 
			 Leicestershire 9 7 9 9 10 14 14 13 10 
			 Lincolnshire n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 5 16 12 10 
			 Merseyside 18 11 20 24 21 20 23 24 22 
			 Norfolk 11 9 9 10 12 14 12 9 10 
			 Northamptonshire 9 7 9 10 11 16 17 13 10 
			 Northumbria 18 12 20 23 31 35 42 33 29 
			 North Yorkshire 15 11 17 22 n/a 22 17 19 11 
			 Nottinghamshire 22 13 18 21 22 27 22 21 17 
			 South Yorkshire 15 10 15 16 21 23 23 24 20 
			 Staffordshire n/a n/a n/a 16 19 17 19 19 15 
			 Suffolk 9 6 9 12 14 14 17 10 10 
			 Surrey 8 7 10 12 14 15 16 12 8 
			 Sussex 8 6 8 13 17 18 19 17 13 
			 Thames Valley 11 7 12 13 17 18 18 14 14 
			 Warwickshire 7 7 6 8 10 13 16 14 12 
			 West Mercia 10 7 9 12 15 17 19 12 13 
			 West Midlands n/a n/a 17 19 17 18 17 15 14 
			 West Yorkshire 15 10 19 20 23 30 32 28 21 
			 Wiltshire 9 7 9 8 7 9 6 7 8 
			   
			 Dyfed-Powys 11 9 11 14 12 15 20 15 15 
			 Gwent n/a n/a 10 12 18 20 23 18 9 
			 North Wales 10 7 11 16 19 21 27 28 27 
			 South Wales 13 13 13 14 15 17 21 18 15 
			 n/a = Data not available. (1) Violent offences are made up from violence against person offences, sexual offences and robbery.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Departmental Carbon Emissions

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent steps his Department has taken to reduce its carbon emissions to meet the target of reducing central Government carbon emissions by 10 per cent. by June 2011.

Gregory Barker: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Stafford (Jeremy Lefroy) on 18 October 2010,  Official Report, column 478.
	Since then we have installed additional LED lighting and delivered our lowest ever monthly office emissions in December 2010 thanks in part to an effort to consolidate the use of space over the low-occupancy week between Christmas and new year. Current figures suggest we have already saved in excess of 100 tonnes compared to our target of 132 tonnes.

Departmental Public Appointments

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many  (a) women and  (b) men have been appointed to public duties by his Department since May 2010.

Gregory Barker: Information on key public appointments made since May 2010 is published in individual press releases. Press releases are available at:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/news/categories/releases/releases.aspx
	In addition, information on the gender of those serving on the boards of public bodies is published annually on DECC's website. Information for the 2010-11 period will be published in due course.

Electricity Generation: Wind Power

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many applications for offshore wind generation under  (a) section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989,  (b) the Transport and Works Act 1992 and  (c) the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 were (i) granted and (ii) not granted consent in (A) each year from 2005 to 2010 and (B) 2011 to the latest date for which information is available; and what the reasons for not granting consent were in each case.

Charles Hendry: Section 36 offshore wind farm applications that were granted consent for the period in question are as follows:
	2005: 0
	2006: 2
	2007: 4
	2008: 6
	2009: 0
	2010: 0
	2011 (to date): 0
	No applications were refused consent in this period.
	No offshore wind farm projects were granted consent and none were refused under the Transport and Works Act 1992 during the period in question.
	The Town and Country Planning Act 1990 does not apply offshore.

Energy: Prices

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department has taken to raise awareness of social tariffs among low-income households in each of the last four financial years.

Gregory Barker: Following an announcement in the 2008 Budget the big six energy suppliers voluntarily agreed to increase their collective expenditure on their voluntary social programmes to at least £100 million in 2008-09, £125 million in 2009-10, rising to £150 million by 2011.
	Suppliers agreed in 2008 to provide greater visibility of their social tariff offers. Following this Ofgem has worked with the suppliers to ensure that information about their social tariffs and programmes and a contact phone number for consumers to check their eligibility are available on all the suppliers' websites.
	Expenditure on suppliers' social assistance as part of the voluntary agreement is monitored by Ofgem and in their latest report they estimated that over 1.6 million customer accounts are benefitting from a supplier's social or discounted tariff, as at the end of March 2010. A copy of Ofgem's report is available online at:
	http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/Sustainability/SocAction/Suppliers/CSR/Documents1/Monitoring%20Suppliers%20Social%20 Spend%202009-10.pdf
	The Voluntary Agreement comes to an end in March 2011 and will be replaced by the Warm Home Discount. Over the four years to 2015, suppliers will be required to spend up to £1.1 billion to help fuel-poor and vulnerable consumers under this scheme. It is projected to help around two million households per year.

Energy: Prices

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he last met representatives of  (a) Ofgem and  (b) energy suppliers to discuss consumer energy prices.

Charles Hendry: DECC Ministers and officials meet with Ofgem and the energy suppliers on a regular basis to discuss market issues.
	It is important that consumers have the lowest possible energy bills, consistent with the need to invest to reduce carbon emissions from energy and ensure security of supply.
	Ofgem therefore, monitors the market closely and reports quarterly on retail prices. Their latest report shows large increases in estimated supplier margins for the year ahead, largely due to recent price increases. We are disappointed on behalf of consumers by this development and welcome the announcement of Ofgem's review of the retail market. Ofgem will report on this review in March of this year. This announcement is available online at:
	http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/Media/PressRel/Documents1/Retail%20Market%2026%20November.pdf

Fuel Oil

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he has estimated a date on which global production of crude oil will peak; and if he will make a statement.

Charles Hendry: We have not estimated a date on which global production of crude oil will peak. However, we do look at a variety of sources that assess oil demand and oil depletion including the IEA, industry and other research organisations. In 2010, DECC's chief scientist sent out a call for evidence on the prospects for future oil supply to a range of experts. A number of responses received argue that a supply 'crunch' (a tightness in the oil market), if not a peak in oil production, is very likely before 2020. We are very grateful for the excellent responses and will use the results to help ensure that our analysis is informed by all relevant factors and further develop energy policies that reduce the risks inherent in a resource constrained future.

Liquefied Petroleum Gas

Andrew Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what account he plans to take of the  (a) availability and  (b) costs of liquid petroleum gas in his consideration of steps to assist rural areas to respond to the effects of rising oil prices.

Charles Hendry: Many off-grid energy consumers have been hit hard by high prices and supply issues this winter. I am keen the reasons for this are thoroughly investigated by an independent authority. This is why I asked the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) to bring forward its competition and consumer study into off-grid energy, and asked the OFT if the study could explore the longer term consumer issues such as lifetime payback, consumer standards and labelling for alternative energy sources or supplies. Such a study would provide an independent assessment of the off-grid market and establish what further action may be necessary to ensure it works properly.
	I very much welcome the OFT's decision to bring forward their work which will look at the effectiveness of the off-grid energy market so we can assess what steps may need to be taken well ahead of next winter.

Radioactive Waste

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his policy is on developing a deep earth repository for all radioactive waste; and what the role of the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management is in the design and siting of such a facility.

Charles Hendry: Government are undertaking a staged process for implementing geological disposal of higher activity radioactive waste, as set out in the 2008 White Paper 'Managing Radioactive Waste Safely: A framework for Implementing Geological Disposal'. This process is based on voluntarism and partnership with local communities with the first stage being local communities 'expressing an interest' in entering discussions with Government about the geological disposal facility siting process.
	To date, three 'expressions of interest' have been received (Copeland borough council, Cumbria county council and Allerdale borough council) for the areas of Copeland and Allerdale. The authorities and local stakeholders are working together in partnership to consider whether to move to the next stage of the process. The option to express an interest remains open and DECC officials are available to answer questions or advise any community who wishes to seek further information.
	Government, along with the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), are responsible for implementing geological disposal. The Committee on Radioactive Waste Management's (CoRWM's) primary task is to provide independent scrutiny and advice on the Government's and NDA's proposals, plans and programmes to deliver geological disposal, together with robust interim storage. Further information on the work of CoRWM is available on their website at:
	http://corwm.decc.gov.uk

Warm Front Scheme: Finance

Linda Riordan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the budget for the Warm Front scheme will be in 2011-12.

Gregory Barker: As part of the spending review 2010, the Government announced that we will continue to fund a smaller targeted Warm Front programme for the next two years, with £110 million available in 2011-12 and £100 million for 2012-13.

Weather

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what representations his Department received on winter weather forecasts from the Met Office between October and December 2010.

Gregory Barker: The Met Office provided written forecasts to the Cabinet Office towards the end of each month: October, November and December; for the following three months. These were shared with the Department.
	The forecast in October for November to January stated that early to mid-winter in northern Europe was likely to be colder and drier than the 1971-2000 average, with an increased risk of a cold and wintry start.
	The update issued in November, for December to February, stated that the most likely scenario was for northern Europe to be colder and drier than the 1971-2000 average, with the cold bias likely to be stronger during the first half of the winter.
	The update issued in December, for January to March, stated that again the most likely scenario was for northern Europe to be colder and drier than the 1971-2000 average.

TRANSPORT

Coastguard Services

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department considered alternative proposals for the modernisation of the structure of coastguard services prior to the publication of its consultation paper.

Philip Hammond: The Maritime and Coastguard Agency has been considering options for the reconfiguration of HM Coastguard Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centres for sometime. I should emphasise that it is the Rescue Co-ordination Centres, not the front line rescue services that are being reconfigured.
	The consideration has concentrated on development of the most efficient and reliable nationally networked structure. This led to the proposal put to Ministers and subsequently published on 16 December last year. The consultation runs until 24 March 2011. I encourage all those with an interest to contribute.

Rail Franchising

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has for reform of rail franchising; and if he will make a statement.

Theresa Villiers: On 19 January, the Government set out a new approach to franchising, taking account of the consultation which took place last summer. We expect these reforms to deliver a railway which is more responsive to passenger needs and provides better value for taxpayer investment.

Speed Cameras

Nicky Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to make speed camera data more accessible to the public.

Theresa Villiers: In December the Minister for Road Safety, my hon. Friend the Member for Hemel Hempstead (Mike Penning), announced that by April 2011 more data on speed cameras would be made available to the public by local councils and the police.
	A working group including representatives from the Home Office, the police and the Highways Agency is considering the best way to deliver this information.

Motoring Costs: Rural Areas

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effect of trends in the cost of motoring on people on low incomes living in rural areas.

Philip Hammond: I have not made any specific assessment of the effect of trends in motoring costs on low income groups in rural areas.
	However, independent studies suggest that between 1997 and 2010 motoring costs (including purchase costs) decreased by 7% in real terms.

Crossrail Line

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what timetable he has set for operation of the first Crossrail trains; when he expects the whole line service to be operational; and when he plans to publish the tender for the first trains.

Theresa Villiers: We expect that phased introduction of Crossrail services will commence from 2018. The detailed timetable for the phased introduction of Crossrail services across the whole line will be announced in due course, following the additional work I outlined to the House on 14 December 2010,  Official Report, columns 96-97WS. The invitation to tender for Crossrail rolling stock is planned to be published in late 2011.

Driving Standards Agency: Cardiff

Owen Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he plans to publish the  (a) findings of the review and  (b) subsequent report prepared in advance of the announcement of the closure of the Driving Standards Agency office in Cardiff.

Michael Penning: The report, incorporating the findings of the review of the proposal to close the Driving Standards Agency's Cardiff office, was published on the agency's corporate website at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/dsa/category.asp?cat=779
	on 18 January 2011. A copy of the report has been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Large Goods Vehicles: EU Action

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent progress he has made on discussions with his counterparts on proposed EU restrictions on the height of commercial vehicles.

Michael Penning: holding answer 20 January 2011
	Department for Transport officials have discussed this issue with the European Commission on several occasions including, most recently, at a meeting on 17 January.
	As I stated in my Westminster Hall debate on 18 January 2011,  Official Report, columns 229-35WH, with my hon. Friend the Member for Mid Derbyshire (Pauline Latham), which the hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent South also spoke at, the Government position is strongly opposing this measure and we are working with other member states and industry to ensure that the status quo is maintained. The Commission is now reconsidering its draft proposal.

Railways: North West

Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions his Department has had with Network Rail on the planned electrification of rail lines between Manchester, Liverpool, Preston and Blackpool; and if he will make a statement.

Theresa Villiers: In November 2010 the Government confirmed their support for the electrification of rail lines between Manchester, Liverpool, Preston and Blackpool. Network Rail updates the Department every month on the progress of the electrification project where specific programme issues are raised.

Snow and Ice: West Midlands

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of local transport infrastructure in the West Midlands during the recent severe weather.

Norman Baker: No specific assessment has been made of the adequacy of local transport infrastructure in the west midlands following the recent severe weather. It is for each local highways authority to set its winter service strategy and to ensure resources are in place to deliver that strategy.

WALES

Referendum

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what progress she has made on arrangements for the referendum on further powers for the National Assembly for Wales; and if she will make a statement.

Cheryl Gillan: I can confirm that this Government have delivered on our commitment to hold a referendum on whether the National Assembly for Wales should have primary legislative powers over those areas that are already devolved, which will take place on 3 March 2011.
	The legal instruments setting out the arrangements for the referendum to take place were approved by Her Majesty the Queen in Privy Council on 15 December 2010. The Orders were previously approved by the National Assembly for Wales and both Houses of Parliament. It is now for the people of Wales to have their say in the referendum.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Honours

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many nominations for official honours for persons undertaking activities in areas within his Department's remit his Department examined in each of the last three years; and how many such honours were granted.

John Penrose: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport does not consider any nominations for official honour for persons undertaking activities outside of its remit.

News Corporation

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what correspondence he has had with Rupert Murdoch on News Corporation's proposed takeover of BSkyB.

Jeremy Hunt: All relevant correspondence up until 24 January 2011 has been published in the written statement of 25 January 2011,  Official Report, columns 3-4WS. Any correspondence after this date will be published at the time I reach my decision.

Tourism

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much funding his Department provided to promote tourism in each region in the latest period for which figures are available.

John Penrose: The regional development agencies have had strategic responsibility for tourism in the regions since 2003, including regional tourism investment. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport provides funding to VisitBritain and VisitEngland. They are responsible for promoting Britain abroad and England in the UK and certain overseas markets. They endeavour to ensure that their campaigns offer a fair spread of coverage to destinations across the country.
	However, up to 2007-08, DCMS contributed £3.6 million a year to the eight non-London RDAs, in support of their regional role. This was reduced to £3.5 million and £3.4 million for 2008-09 and 2009-10. This money was not ring-fenced for tourism-along with the contributions from other Government Departments it was absorbed into the total Single Budget, which was then allocated between the RDAs. It has been up to each RDA to decide on how much it wishes to invest in tourism from its overall allocation from the Single Budget.

TREASURY

Aggregates Levy

John Mann: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has for the future of the aggregates levy.

Justine Greening: The Government are fully committed to reinstating the aggregates levy credit scheme in Northern Ireland and have submitted evidence to the European Commission to support a new decision to approve it as a state aid for environmental purposes. The Chancellor will make any other decisions on the aggregates levy at Budget when all taxes can be taken into consideration as part of an overall fiscal judgment.

Banks: Northern Ireland

Lady Hermon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what meetings he has had with representatives of the banking sector in Northern Ireland in the last 12 months.

Mark Hoban: Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide range of organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings. However, a list of meetings with external stakeholders is published on the Treasury website. This list can be found at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/minister_hospitality.htm

Child Benefit

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the effects on income of families with  (a) one child and  (b) two or more children in each income decile of his proposed changes to the administration of child benefit (i) in cash terms and (ii) as a proportion of income in each of the four financial years from April 2012.

David Gauke: Child benefit will be withdrawn from families containing a higher rate taxpayer. Affected families are within the top 20% of the income distribution of all families (including those without children). Families with no higher rate taxpayer who receive child benefit, which is around 80% of all families claiming child benefit, will be unaffected by this policy.
	At the June Budget and the spending review, this Government have taken the unprecedented step of publishing detailed distributional analysis of the impacts of their decisions for the first time. For instance, charts B.4 and B.5 in Annex B of the "Spending Review 2010" document show the overall impact of spending review and Budget measures by income decile in 2012-13. The impact of the change to child benefit from its introduction in January 2013 to the end of the financial year is therefore captured in the analysis.

Departmental Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what single tender contracts his Department has awarded since his appointment; and what the monetary value is of each contract above the EU public procurement threshold.

Justine Greening: Between May-December 2010 HM Treasury awarded 10 contracts using single tender action. One of those contracts (Support and Maintenance Services' for the COINS spending data system) exceeded the EU public procurement threshold at a value of £1.4 million (excluding VAT) for the period September 2010-July 2013.

Enterprise Investment Scheme

Sam Gyimah: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he plans to review the rules on the  (a) connected persons and  (b) the types of businesses classified as performing a qualifying trade in respect of the Enterprise Investment scheme.

David Gauke: The Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) plays a valuable role in incentivising investment into small companies. As with all areas of tax policy, the Government will keep the EIS under review to ensure that it is effectively meeting its policy objectives.

Equality Impact Assessments

John McDonnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to his Department's paper Overview of the Impact of Spending Review 2010 on Equalities, if he will place in the Library a copy of the  (a) questions and  (b) outcomes data from the screening process referred to in paragraph 1.8.

Justine Greening: At the spending review, the Treasury conducted a screening exercise to assess whether changes in the areas of tax, welfare and public service pensions would have a particular impact on women or men, people of different ethnic origin or people with disabilities.
	The results of these screening exercises can be found in the publication "Overview of the Impact of the Spending Review on Equalities" which was published alongside the spending review announcement. As these documents relate to ongoing policy development, it would not be appropriate to place copies in the Library at this stage.
	Full impact assessments will be considered and published by the relevant departments as the full details of these policies are finalised.

Institute for Fiscal Studies

Robert Halfon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 22 November 2010,  Official Report, column 86W, on the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), which contracts his Department had with the IFS between 2002-03 and 2010-11; what the monetary value was of each such contract; and what tender process was undertaken in each case.

Justine Greening: The majority of the Department's spending with the Institute for Fiscal Studies was for the Department's membership of the Retirement Savings Consortium, at a cost of £12,500 per annum in 2008-09, when the last payment was made under the contract. The Department's membership of the consortium pre-dates the Department's contract details database and information on any tender process that may have been undertaken is not available.

Public Expenditure

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which central Government departments he expects to have an underspend in 2010-11; and by what amount in each case.

Danny Alexander: In line with usual practice, provisional outturn for departmental expenditure against departmental expenditure limits (DELs) will be reported in forthcoming "Public Expenditure Outturn White Paper (PEOWP)".

Stewardship of the Manor of Northstead

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for what reasons he appointed the Member elected to represent the Belfast West constituency at the May 2010 general election to be Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead.

George Osborne: I have nothing to add to the comments made in the House on 26 January 2011,  Official Report, columns 404-05. My appointment of the former Member to the Stewardship of the Manor of Northstead was consistent with long-standing procedure, as set out in  Erskine May.

VAT: Third Sector

Stuart Andrew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the average cost of the recent increase in the rate of value added tax to voluntary services and charities in each of the next three years.

David Gauke: Charities benefit from a range of tax reliefs which for 2009-10 the Government estimate are worth approximately £3 billion per annum. These include reliefs from VAT, for example: VAT zero-rating on the sale of donated goods, medical and scientific equipment and, for qualifying charities, goods for use by disabled people. All zero rates are derogations from the normal EU VAT rules, and represent benefits not enjoyed by charities elsewhere in Europe.
	Charities carrying out non-taxable activities may incur irrecoverable VAT on their purchases, but information is not available to assess accurately the amount or the effect of the increase in the standard rate of VAT.

SCOTLAND

Blood: Contamination

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with  (a) Ministerial colleagues and  (b) the Scottish Executive on the implementation in Scotland of compensation scheme for those infected by hepatitis C as a result of receiving contaminated blood products during the 1970s and 1980s.

David Mundell: The Secretary of State and I are in contact with ministerial colleagues and the Scottish Government on a number of issues. This particular matter has been dealt with by Ministers and officials from the Department of Health and the Scottish Government.

Devolution: Consultants

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what payments his Department has made to consultants for work relating to devolution since 1997.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office was established on 1 July 1999. Since that date, one payment of £6,100 was made in financial year 2002-03 for a report on devolution within Europe.

Students: Visas

Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on the effect on universities in Scotland of changes to student visas.

David Mundell: The Secretary of State for Scotland and I are in regular discussion with ministerial colleagues in the Home Office, including on how changes to the immigration system impact on Scotland.

Students: Visas

Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish each communication he has received on the Home Office consultation by the Home Office on changes to student visas.

David Mundell: The Government's consultation on student immigration is currently under way and closes on 31 January. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not standard practice to publish communications between Ministers on the development of Government policy.

Taxation

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much was  (a) collected in taxation and  (b) spent on public services in Scotland in each of the last five years.

David Mundell: The UK Government do not publish figures for total taxes collected in Scotland. However, figures on identifiable public spending in Scotland are published in HM Treasury's Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses. The Scottish Government do publish such estimates of tax receipts and total Government expenditure in their annual publication "Government Expenditure and Revenue in Scotland", available in the House of Commons Library and at:
	http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2010/06/22160331/0
	The most recent edition estimates that the net fiscal balance in Scotland was a deficit of £14.7 billion for 2008-09. Once implemented, the financial provisions of the Scotland Bill would result in around 35% of the Scottish Parliament's current budget being derived directly from taxes determined and raised in Scotland, replacing a substantial proportion of the existing block grant from the UK Government.

CABINET OFFICE

10 Downing Street: Operating Costs

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of  (a) the running costs of the Prime Minister's living accommodation at Downing Street, including (i) utility charges, (ii) council tax, (iii) telephone costs, (iv) cleaning, (v) insurance and (vi) maintenance and  (b) the cost of any changes made to the living accommodation since the 2010 general election.

Francis Maude: As has been the practice under successive Administrations the Cabinet Office does not hold a separate estimate for the running costs of the Prime Minister's living accommodation, which form part of the overall Downing street estate.
	The Government self-insure their premises, so no premium is payable for insurance.
	My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister pays his own council tax for this accommodation.

Census: Vetting

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  whether people recruited to work on the 2011 Census campaign will be required to pay for their own criminal record check;
	(2)  who he expects to meet the costs of criminal record checks for those recruited to work on the 2011 Census.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated January 2011:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS) I have been asked to reply to your recent questions asking:
	1. Who is expected to meet the costs of criminal records bureau checks for those recruited to work on the 2011 Census (35705)
	2. Whether people wishing to work for the 2011 Census campaign will be required to pay for their own Criminal Records Bureau check (35744)
	No one employed to work on the 2011 Census is subject to Criminal Records Bureau checks. However, in accordance with Cabinet Office guidelines all staff are subject to checks for unspent convictions through Disclosure Scotland. Either the Office for National Statistics (ONS) or its contractors meet the costs of checks for unspent convictions. In some instances, applicants are asked to pay the fee required to carry out a check but this fee is subsequently reimbursed by ONS.

Charitable Donations

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what assessment he has made of long-term trends in altruism in the UK.

Nick Hurd: For the Giving Green Paper published in December 2010, long-term trends in volunteering and donating were assessed. This assessment provided part of the evidence base for the policy proposals to increase giving highlighted in the Green Paper. The assessment found that levels of regular formal and informal volunteering have been stable since 2000. Over the last 30 years, average weekly household charity donations have risen largely in line with GDP growth.

Charitable Donations

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what assessment he has made of giving levels as a proportion of income for each socio-economic grouping.

Nick Hurd: For the Giving Green Paper published in December 2010, donation patterns among different socio-economic groups were assessed. This assessment provided part of the evidence base for the policy proposals to increase giving highlighted in the Green Paper. The assessment found that people with high incomes are more likely to donate, but that donors on below average incomes contribute the most as a proportion of their income.
	I will place a copy of the Giving Green Paper in the Libraries of the House.

Departmental Conferences

Robert Halfon: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what his Department's annual budget for conferences was on  (a) 7 May 2010 and  (b) 7 December 2010.

Francis Maude: The Cabinet Office's annual budget for conferences on 7 May 2010 was £180,793.
	The Cabinet Office's annual budget for conferences on 7 December 2010 was £179,243
	These figures represent the total amount budgeted for conferences by those Cabinet Office management units who were able to identify this budget from the Department's accounting system and in the main reflects the budget for conferences either organised or hosted by the Cabinet Office. Some management units have been unable to separately identify their budget for organised conferences as it has been subsumed within generic budget headings.
	The annual budget for attendance at conferences by staff is not centrally held and is therefore available only at disproportionate cost.

Former Prime Ministers: Allowances

Pete Wishart: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  whether the Government plans to review the limit of public duty costs allowance for former Prime Ministers;
	(2)  if he will consider the merits of making public individual claims by former Prime Ministers from the public duty costs allowance.

Francis Maude: The public duty costs allowance for former Prime Ministers is kept under review.

Government Departments: Flexible Working

Paul Maynard: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what plans he has to encourage Government Departments to adopt flexible working practices which would allow disabled staff to work from home.

Francis Maude: Departments have a responsibility to make reasonable adjustments to ensure that disabled employees are not put at a substantial disadvantage by their environment, the way things are done or any physical feature of the workplace.
	In addition, the Government are committed to offering flexible working to their employees, including those with a disability. The coalition agreement outlines a commitment to extend the right to request flexible working to all employees which is being taken forward by the Minister for Employment Relations, Consumer and Postal Services, my hon. Friend the Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey), and has my support.

Government Departments: Security

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what arrangements are in place to determine the grant of passes to those not directly employed by Government departments authorising access to buildings occupied by such departments; what rules govern the issue of such passes to such individuals; which authority is responsible for vetting applications for such passes; and how many such passes were issued in the latest period for which figures are available.

Francis Maude: holding answer 25 January 2011
	Passes may be issued to those who are required to make frequent visits to specific Government sites, subject to the usual security checks. Individual Departments are responsible for managing access to their sites, though departmental arrangements must comply with the policy principles set out in the HMG Security Policy Framework, available on the Cabinet Office website. For security reasons it would not be appropriate to provide detailed information about specific measures implemented by Departments. The Cabinet Office does not collect information about the number of such passes issued across Government.

NDPBs: Finance

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the potential savings to the public purse arising from the review of non-departmental public bodies in each year from 2011-12 to 2014-15.

Francis Maude: I refer my hon. Friend to my response on 19 January 2011,  Official Report, column 827.

Non-departmental Public Bodies

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will include a value for money test in future reviews of non-departmental public bodies.

Francis Maude: The Cabinet Office will publish draft guidance on the new review process shortly.

Public Bodies: Consultants

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  if he will review his Department's guidance on expenditure by public bodies on public affairs consultancies;
	(2)  what guidance his Department issues to public bodies on expenditure on public affairs consultancies.

Francis Maude: Guidance on the use by public bodies of public relations and similar consultancies is set out in Chapter 8 of the Cabinet Office publication, "Public Bodies: A Guide for Departments". This guidance is available at:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/content/public-bodies-and-appointments
	and copies are available in the Library of the House.
	The Public Administration Select committee has recommended that Government review this guidance. We will respond formally to the Committee's recommendations in due course.

Public Bodies: Consultants

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many public bodies within his Department's area of responsibility have made payments to public affairs consultancies in the last 12 months.

Francis Maude: The information is available only at disproportionate cost.
	In May 2010 the Government announced a freeze on new consultancy expenditure. Any exception to this freeze (where the estimated value is over £20,000) must be approved by the relevant Minister. In the case of the Cabinet Office, the Minister for the Cabinet Office approves any exception to the consultancy freeze. Expenditure on consultancy is only allowed if the consultancy is deemed to be operationally necessary, or the work cannot be done by in-house staff. All consultancy contracts are subject to a review every three months, for a maximum of nine months. Where contracts go beyond nine months, they must be submitted for approval to the Efficiency and Reform Group for consideration by the Chief Secretary and the Minister for the Cabinet Office.

Public Bodies: Lobbying

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what plans he has to establish monitoring and enforcement procedures to ensure that public bodies do not hire public relations and lobbying organisations.

Francis Maude: The Public Administration Select Committee has recommended that Government review its monitoring and enforcement procedures on the use by public bodies of PR consultants. We will respond formally to the Committee's recommendations in due course.

Public Sector: Sick Leave

David Amess: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  what steps he has taken to reduce sickness  (a) rates and  (b) absence in the public sector; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  whether his Department has established pilot projects to reduce absenteeism in public sector agencies.

Francis Maude: The individual organisations that make up the public sector have responsibility for ensuring that sickness absence is managed effectively. Cabinet Office hosts a forum for employers which span the civil service, public sector, private and voluntary sectors. This forum tackles cross cutting issues affecting the work force, and shares best practice to address work force issues such as staff sickness absence.
	Across the public sector, the Department of Health is working with NHS Employers to improve support for NHS staff health and well-being and reduce sickness absence rates in the NHS. Between April and June 2010 the average sickness absence rate for the NHS in England was 3.89% falling from 4.05% for the same period in 2009.
	Many NHS organisations have developed unique approaches to reducing staff absenteeism and have been running local pilots tailored to the needs of their workforce. For example, an NHS Plus initiative improving delivery of workplace and occupational health at York Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has reduced long term sickness absence rates by 40% since it was launched in 2008.
	In response to Dame Carol Black's Review of Health of the UK, a UK wide programme jointly sponsored by Department for Work and Pensions and Department of Health is running 11 pilots to address long term sickness absence across all sectors. The pilots combine a personalised service tailored to the needs of the individual with employment support to address long-term sickness absence. These will run and be evaluated until at least 2011. More information can be found by accessing the DWP website:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/health-work-and-well-being/our-work/fit-for-work-services/
	The level of staff absence across the civil service as a whole is at its lowest since 1999. 41% of all staff had no sickness absence in the year up to 31 March 2010 and the average number of working days lost is currently 8.7. Information about staff sickness absence in the civil service can be viewed at:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/about/improving/health/sickness-absence.aspx
	The Cabinet Office has also published a civil service health and wellbeing framework which is available to all Departments and can be viewed via the civil service website:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/about/improvinq/health/resources.aspx

Race Online 2012

Simon Kirby: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps he is taking to encourage other Government Departments to engage with Race Online 2012; and if he will make a statement.

Francis Maude: The Cabinet Office is responsible for encouraging all Departments to engage with Race Online and support its valuable work. Many are already doing so for example Jobcentre Plus having recently become a Race Online partner and appointed a "digital champion" in every Job centre to encourage jobseekers to develop their online skills.
	I recently announced the Government's commitment to delivering services digitally by default, and as part of this, emphasised that we will work with Race Online to encourage millions more people to go online, ensuring that no one is excluded from the benefits of better, more efficient online services.

Suicide: Hartlepool

Iain Wright: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many suicides there were of people  (a) of each sex and  (b) in each age group in Hartlepool constituency in each of the last 10 years.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated January 2011:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many suicides there were of people (a) of each sex and (b) in each age group in Hartlepool constituency in each of the last 10 years. (36441)
	The tables attached provide the number of deaths, where suicide was the underlying cause of death, for (a) each sex (Table 1) and (b) each age group (Table 2), in Hartlepool parliamentary constituency, for 2000 to 2009 (the latest year available).
	Suicide figures for persons aged 15 years and over in England and Wales from 1991 onwards are available on the National Statistics website at:
	www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/Product.asp?vlnk=13618
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of deaths where suicide was the underlying cause of death, by sex, Hartlepool parliamentary constituency, 2000-2009( 1,2,3,4) 
			  Deaths 
			  Year  Males  Females 
			 2000 10 1 
			 2001 7 1 
			 2002 10 4 
			 2003 9 2 
			 2004 4 3 
			 2005 5 2 
			 2006 3 1 
			 2007 5 2 
			 2008 1 0 
			 2009 7 2 
			 (1) Suicide was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) codes E950-E959 and E980-E989 (excluding E988.8) for the year 2000, and Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes X60-X84 and Y10-Y34 (excluding Y33.9 where the Coroner's verdict was pending) for 2001 onwards. From 2007, deaths which were previously coded to Y33.9 are coded to U50.9. (2) Suicide and undetermined intent deaths have not been included for children under the age of 15 years. (3) Based on boundaries as of 2010. (4) Figures are based on deaths registered in each calendar year. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Number of deaths where suicide was the underlying cause of death, by age group, Hartlepool parliamentary constituency,  2000-2009( 1,2,3,4) 
			  Deaths (persons) 
			  Year  15-44  45-74  75 and over 
			 2000 4 6 1 
			 2001 4 2 2 
			 2002 8 5 1 
			 2003 4 7 0 
			 2004 3 4 0 
			 2005 4 3 0 
			 2006 2 2 0 
			 2007 6 1 0 
			 2008 0 1 0 
			 2009 4 4 1 
			 (1) Suicide was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) codes E950-E959 and E980-E989 (excluding E988.8) for the year 2000, and Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes X60-X84 and Y10-Y34 (excluding Y33.9 where the Coroner's verdict was pending) for 2001 onwards. From 2007, deaths which were previously coded to Y33.9 are coded to U50.9. (2) Suicide and undetermined intent deaths have not been included for children under the age of 15 years. (3) Based on boundaries as of 2010. (4) Figures are based on deaths registered in each calendar year.

Voluntary Work

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will estimate  (a) the number of people engaged in volunteering activity in England and  (b) the projected change to this number in the next three years as a result of the Big Society initiative.

Nick Hurd: The information is as follows:
	 (a) As part of the Giving Green Paper published in December 2010, long-term trends in volunteering were assessed. The assessment found that levels of regular formal and informal volunteering have been fairly stable since 2000. The most recent data for England and Wales, suggests that around 29 million adults volunteered in 2010, of which, almost 18.5 million do so on a regular basis.
	 (b) Growing a big society will put people at the heart of their community. It will enable them to take greater responsibility for helping others and themselves to solve problems through social action, including volunteering, and to grasp opportunities to shape their neighbourhoods. The Giving Green Paper set out some innovative ideas for helping people fit volunteering around their everyday lives, and we will expand on this in the White Paper to be published early this year. Although we do anticipate increases in levels of volunteering over the next three years, it would be unrealistic to accurately put a figure on what these might look like at this early stage.

Voluntary Work: Young People

Matthew Offord: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what progress his Department is making on the implementation of National Citizen Service pilots.

Nick Hurd: 12 providers have been appointed to run National Citizen Service (NCS) pilots for 16-year-olds in summer 2011. Over 11,000 NCS places will be available in a wide range of locations in England, and those organisations are now in the process of attracting young people to join their pilot schemes. My Department, in conjunction with the Department for Education and the Department for Communities and Local Government, continues to work closely with our 2011 pilot providers and to plan for the second year of NCS pilots in 2012.

Weather

Harriett Baldwin: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what written long range winter weather forecast his Department received from the Met Office in October 2010.

Francis Maude: The Met Office provide the Government with regular updates throughout the year to inform short, medium and longer term planning. In late October, the Met Office provided a seasonal outlook for the UK Government which advised that there was a 60% chance that temperatures would be average or warmer and a 70% chance that the would be average or colder.

HEALTH

Arthritis

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department plans to include rheumatoid arthritis in future iterations of the Quality and Outcomes Framework; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Burstow: The prioritisation of potential indicators for inclusion in the Quality and Outcomes Framework is the responsibility of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.

Blood: Contamination

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with the devolved administrations on the implementation of compensation schemes for those infected by hepatitis C as a result of receiving contaminated blood products during the 1970s and 1980s.

Anne Milton: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the right hon. Member for Wythenshawe and Sale East (Paul Goggins) on 17 January 2011,  Official Report, column 543W.

Cancer: Drugs

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how long on average he expects a patient to wait for a response to a funding request to the Cancer Drugs Fund.

Simon Burns: The Cancer Drugs Fund will be launched in April 2011.
	As an interim measure, we have made an additional £50 million available to the national health service to support improved access to cancer drugs in this financial year. In July 2010 the NHS medical director issued guidance to strategic health authorities which makes clear that arrangements for the distribution of this funding should support timely decision-making, bearing in mind the 31 day cancer treatment standard. A copy of the guidance has been placed in the Library.

Cancer: Drugs

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what guidance he plans to issue to  (a) strategic health authorities and  (b) clinical panels on funding treatments from Cancer Drugs Fund allocations for patients with extremely rare cancers;
	(2)  what mechanism he plans to put in place to ensure that proposed funding policies by clinical panels for the Cancer Drugs Fund do not discriminate against applications by patients with rare cancers.

Simon Burns: The public consultation on our proposals for the Cancer Drugs Fund closed on 19 January. We have had almost 200 responses from the national health service, clinicians, pharmaceutical companies, patients, charities, patient groups, members of the public, professional organisations and others.
	The consultation asked for views on what advice we can give the clinically-led panels on the specific challenge posed by rarity and whether guidance should be issued on prioritising the fund application process, for example to rarer cancers.
	Decisions on the implementation of the Cancer Drugs Fund will be taken once the responses to the consultation have been considered.

Cancer: Health Services

Jo Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the effect on survival rates of implementation of his Department's cancer strategy.

Paul Burstow: "Improving Outcomes: A Strategy for Cancer", published on 12 January, sets out actions to tackle preventable cancer incidence, to achieve earlier diagnosis of cancer and to improve the quality and efficiency of cancer services. The impact assessment for the strategy estimates that through the plans for earlier diagnosis of symptomatic patients, screening developments and expansion of radiotherapy services we can save at least an additional 5,000 lives every year by 2014-15.

Cannabis: Misuse

Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people  (a) under the age of 18,  (b) between 18 and 24,  (c) between 24 and 30 and  (d) 30 and above were admitted to hospital for mental illnesses attributable to the use of cannabis or skunk cannabis in each of the last 10 years.

Paul Burstow: The following table represents the count of finished admissions by required age groups for patients admitted to hospital with a primary diagnosis of mental and behavioural disorders due to use of Cannabinoids (ICD10 code F12).
	
		
			  Data years 2000-01 to 2009-10 
			   Age group  
			   Under 18  18 to under 24  24 to under 30  30 and above  Age not known  Total 
			 2000-01 69 192 126 194 - 581 
			 2001-02 117 205 134 217 1 674 
			 2002-03 86 245 142 231 - 704 
			 2003-04 140 294 175 281 - 890 
			 2004-05 116 283 210 259 - 868 
			 2005-06 129 300 224 293 - 946 
			 2006-07 92 218 175 251 14 750 
			 2007-08 93 235 131 276 - 735 
			 2008-09 71 197 163 219 1 651 
			 2009-10 93 237 155 225 3 713 
			  Notes: 1. Count of finished admission episodes with a primary diagnosis of mental and behavioural disorders due to use of Cannabinoids (ICD10 code F12). 2. Activity in English national health service hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector.  Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The NHS Information Centre for health and social care

Carers: Public Expenditure

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will introduce a mechanism to monitor the amount of his Department's expenditure which is allocated to carers in each age group.

Paul Burstow: "Recognised, valued and supported: next steps for the Carers' Strategy" identified that £400 million was being made available for carers breaks over the next four years (2011-12 to 2014-15). This funding will be made available in primary care trust (PCT) allocations (pending the introduction of general practitioner (GP) consortia).
	It is this Government's policy to enhance freedom for local government and PCTs as much as possible by reducing the ring-fencing of monies, freeing up resources to concentrate on local priorities and the delivery of essential frontline services. It is for PCTs, and after them GP consortia, to manage their budgets and make decisions about how best to meet the health needs of their local population. However, we are looking at how we can make decision making more transparent.
	This includes using:
	the NHS Operating Framework, which sets out the priorities for the national health service for the year ahead;
	the NHS Outcomes Framework, which sets out the outcomes and indicators that will be used to hold the NHS Commissioning Board to account for the outcomes it delivers through commissioning health services from 2012-13; and
	the outcomes framework for adult social care, which is about how we measure quality and outcomes in adult social care.
	Individual PCT recurrent revenue allocations are not broken down by service or policy area. It is for PCTs to commission services to meet the healthcare needs of their local populations, taking account of local and national priorities. There is not a weighted capitation formula specific to 'care' that would allow needs to be accurately identified at the local level. For these reasons, PCTs have not been advised of individual sums for breaks.

Children: Death

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the rate of mortality for children aged one to 14 years was in each (a) local authority area,  (b) health authority area and  (c) constituency in the latest year for which figures are available;
	(2) what the rate of death of young people aged 15 to 19 years was by  (a) accident,  (b) homicide and  (c) suicide in each (i) local authority area, (ii) health authority area and (iii) constituency in the latest year for which figures are available.

Nick Hurd: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated January 2011:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent questions asking:
	1. What the rate of mortality for children aged one to 14 years was in each (a) local authority area, (b) health authority area and (c) constituency in the latest year for which figures are available. (35839)
	2. What the rate of death of young people aged 15 to 19 years by (a) accident, (b) homicide and (c) suicide was in each (i) local authority area, (ii) health authority area and (iii) constituency in the latest year for which figures are available. (35840)
	Tables 1 to 3 provide the number of deaths of children aged one to 14 years in each (a) local authority (Table 1), (b) primary care organisation and local health board (Table 2) and (c) parliamentary constituency (Table 3), in England and Wales, for 2009 (the latest year available).
	Tables 4 to 6 provide the number of deaths where either (a) accidents, (b) homicide or (c) suicide was the underlying cause of death, for persons aged 15 to 19 years, in each (i) local authority (Table 4), (ii) primary care organisation and local health board (Table 5) and (iii) parliamentary constituency (Table 6), in England and Wales, for 2009 (the latest year available).
	Figures for accidents, homicide and suicide in Tables 4 to 6 have been combined to protect confidentiality, in line with the ONS policy on protecting confidentiality within birth and death statistics. Table 7 attached provides the number of deaths separately for each cause where (a) accidents, (b) homicide or (c) suicide was the underlying cause of death, for persons aged 15 to 19 years, in England and Wales, for 2009.
	It is ONS practice not to calculate mortality rates where there are fewer than three deaths in an area, as rates based on such low numbers are susceptible to inaccurate interpretation. As this affects a large number of areas within each table, the number of deaths in each area has been provided.
	To take the size of each area into account, Tables 8 to 11 provide the mid-year population estimates for (a) children aged one to 14 and (b) persons aged 15 to 19, for each (i) local authority (Tables 8 and 9) and (ii) primary care organisation and local health board (Tables 10 and 11), in England and Wales, for 2009 (the latest year available). Mid-year population estimates for parliamentary constituencies for 2009 will be available on 23 February 2011.
	
		
			  Table 7. Number of deaths where accidents, homicide or suicide was the underlying cause of death, persons aged 15 to 19 years, England and Wales, 2009( 1,2,3) 
			  Persons 
			  Cause of death  Deaths 
			 Accidents 365 
			 Homicide 80 
			 Suicide 132 
			 (1) Cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes V01-X59 (accidents), X85-Y09, U50.9 (homicide) and X60-X84, Y10-Y34 (suicide). (2) Figures for England and Wales include deaths of non-residents. (3) Figures are for deaths registered in 2009.

Departmental Contracts

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what single tender contracts his Department has awarded since his appointment; and what the monetary value is of each contract above the EU public procurement threshold.

Simon Burns: This information is contained in the following two tables beneath the heading 'Department of Health-single tender contracts awarded since 12 May 2010' (this is the date the Secretary of State for Health was appointed). The first table contains information on the aggregate number and value of single tender contracts below the European Union threshold for public procurement. The second table contains details on each such contract awarded above the threshold: the date the contract was awarded ('Purchase Order date'); the type of services delivered and the supplying company; and finally the value of each contract.
	Since 1 January 2010 the EU public procurement threshold for Central Government Departments has been set at £101,323 for supplies and services contracts, which applies to all those in the document.
	
		
			  Department of Health-single tender contracts awarded since 12 May 2010 
			  Table 1: Below OJEU threshold 
			  Purchase order volume  Purchase order amount exc VAT 
			 190 8,669,374.00 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Above OJEU threshold 
			  Purchase order date  Vendor type  Category  Supplier name  Purchase order amount exc VAT 
			 9 November 2010 Professional Bodies Prof Serv-Other Learning and Develop The Society of Apothecaries 105,000.00 
			 8 November 2010 Commercial Supplier Professional Services Hays Specialist Recruitment Ltd 111,755.00 
			 14 July 2010 Commercial Supplier Professional Services Ernst and Young LLP 120,000.00 
			 28 May 2010 Commercial Supplier Professional Services Oxford Healthcare Associates Ltd 125,000.00 
			 21 January 2011 Commercial Supplier Professional Services PA Consulting Group Ltd 126,000.00 
			 22 June 2010 Commercial Supplier Professional Services Ernst and Young LLP 128,000.00 
			 7 December 2010 Commercial Supplier Professional Services Peters and Peters Solicitors LLP 146,530.00 
			 14 January 2011 Academic Institution Professional Services Manchester University of 149,404.00 
			 2 July 2010 Commercial Supplier Professional Services Jonathan Watts TA Bowe Watts Clargo 179,523.75 
			 19 May 2010 Commercial Supplier Professional Services Capita SHG Resourcing 195,300.00 
			 28 May 2010 Commercial Supplier Miscellaneous Costs Exercise Movement and Dance Partnership Ltd 200,000.00 
			 10 August 2010 Commercial Supplier Professional Services Spring Technology 234,520.00 
			 12 January 2011 Commercial Supplier Professional Services PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP 282,000.00 
			 20 August 2010 Commercial Supplier Professional Services Peters and Peters solicitors LLP 291,530.00 
			 27 May 2010 Commercial Supplier Professional Services PA consulting group Ltd 429,360.00 
			 17 January 2011 Commercial Supplier Professional Services Phoenix consultancy 450,000.00

Drugs: Rehabilitation

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 4 November 2010,  Official Report, column 883W, on drugs: rehabilitation, what progress the Institute of Psychiatry's National Addiction Centre has made on exploration of the outcomes of the randomised injectible opiate treatment trials; when it will conclude its work; and what plans he has to publish its conclusions.

Anne Milton: The randomised injectible opiate treatment trial, conducted by the Institute of Psychiatry's National Addiction Centre (NAC) concluded in 2009, and findings were published in the  Lancet in May 2010. It would be a decision for NAC whether to publish any further reports of that research.
	The Drugs Strategy (published in December 2010) "Reducing demand, restricting supply, building recovery: supporting people to live a drug free life", sets out the coalition Government's commitment to continue to examine the potential role of diamorphine prescribing for the small number who may benefit.
	We will set out our plans in due course.

General Practitioners: North Yorkshire

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations he has received on practice-based commissioning in North Yorkshire; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: Departmental records show that, since May 2010, it has received 10 representations about practice-based commissioning in North Yorkshire, comprising one parliamentary question and nine pieces of correspondence.
	Four of the pieces of correspondence were sent by Members of Parliament on behalf of the North Yorkshire Local Involvement Network about their feedback on the White Paper "Equity and excellence: Liberating the NHS" which was published on 12 July 2010.

Health and Social Care Bill

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what equality impact assessment his Department undertook on the Health and Social Care Bill.

Simon Burns: A full equality impact assessment was published alongside the Bill on 19 January. A copy has already been placed in the Library and is available on the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/healthandsocialcarebill
	In carrying out the equality impact assessment of the Health and Social Care Bill, the Department considered all the relevant protected characteristics covered by the Equality Act 2010 in accordance with good practice guidance from the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

Health Visitors

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on the maximum number of children under five years who may be part of the caseload of a full-time health visitor.

Anne Milton: The Department does not collect data regarding case loads and decisions of this nature will be locally determined.
	Our objective is to ensure that certain services, such as those prescribed by the Healthy Child Programme, are available to every family with a young child and that extra help is there for those who need it. By growing the work force by 4,200 health visitors, we want existing and new health visitors to be able to build on their role and skills and provide an important bridge to the wider community, developing local community resources to support families and children and local health issues.
	We will shortly publish an implementation plan, which will illustrate how families will benefit from a bigger work force and set out high-level plans for delivery, including work to:
	conduct a demographic and geographical analysis to establish location and population need and match with trainees and training places; and
	ensure positive correlation between work force growth and population need.

Heroin

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment his Department has made of the relative effectiveness in treatment of prescribing  (a) heroin and  (b) methadone.

Anne Milton: In 2003 the National Treatment Agency for substance misuse published "Injectable heroin (and injectable methadone)-Potential roles in drug treatment", which was a review of the both international and United Kingdom studies on injectable heroin and methadone treatment in the management of addiction.
	www.nta.nhs.uk/uploads/nta_injectable_heroin_and_methadone_2003_summary.pdf
	The findings of this guidance were subsequently incorporated and referred to in the Department's 2007 "Drug misuse and dependence-UK guidelines on clinical management".
	www.nta.nhs.uk/uploads/clinical_guidelines_2007.pdf
	More recently, the results of the randomised injectable opiate treatment trial were reported in  The Lancet on 28 May 2010. The report's conclusions included, that in this group of entrenched users who had not responded to other forms of treatment,
	"treatment with supervised injectable heroin leads to significantly lower use of street heroin than does supervised injectable methadone or optimised oral methadone".

Heroin

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many individuals have received prescriptions for  (a) heroin and  (b) methadone in each year since 2002.

Simon Burns: Diamorphine (heroin) is indicated for cough suppression, acute pain, chronic pain, myocardial infarction and acute pulmonary oedema, as well as in the treatment of opioid dependency.
	Methadone is indicated for cough suppression, severe pain and for the treatment of opioid dependency.
	Prescribing data do not record the number of patients receiving diamorphine and methadone. However, the number of prescriptions dispensed for these drugs is as follows.
	
		
			  Items (thousand) 
			   Diamorphine/heroin  Methadone 
			 2002 96.0 1,428.4 
			 2003 98.6 1,614.2 
			 2004 102.9 1,810.0 
			 2005 60.8 2,044.0 
			 2006 65.6 2,277.1 
			 2007 83.2 2,491.9 
			 2008 97.8 2,738.0 
			 2009 109.2 2,968.0 
			  Note: PCA data-Prescription information is taken from the Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) system, supplied by the Prescription Services Division of the NHS Business Services Authority (BSA), and is based on a full analysis of all prescriptions.

HIV Infection

Stuart Andrew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to reduce levels of undiagnosed HIV.

Anne Milton: The Department of Health has been taking action to reduce undiagnosed and late diagnosis of HIV. We invested £750,000 in eight pilot projects in high prevalence areas looking at new approaches to HIV testing in primary care, non-specialist hospital settings and community social settings.
	On 1 December, the Health Protection Agency published an interim report "Time to test for HIV: Expanded healthcare and community HIV testing in England" on their review of these pilots. A copy of the report has already placed in the Library. Findings show that expanding HIV testing in hospital/general practitioner/community settings is feasible, and acceptable to patients and staff. These findings from these pilots will add to our evidence base on increasing HIV testing especially in high prevalence areas. A full report will be produced early 2011.
	The Department has also funded the Medical Foundation for AIDS and Sexual Health to produce the training resource for non-specialist staff, "Tackling HIV Testing-increasing detection and diagnosis".

HIV Infection: Brighton

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in Brighton, Kemptown constituency were diagnosed with HIV in each of the last three years.

Anne Milton: The available information for Brighton and Hove Primary Care Trust (PCT) which covers Brighton Pavilion, Brighton Kemptown and Hove, is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Number of new HIV diagnoses in Brighton and Hove PCT: 2007-09 
			  New HIV diagnoses  Number 
			 2007 143 
			 2008 132 
			 2009 111 
			  Notes: 1. Data are new HIV diagnoses reported to the end of June 2010. 2. New diagnosis data do not necessarily reflect recently acquired infections, as patients may live for many years without diagnosis. 3. Data represents place of diagnosis, not place of residence. There is evidence that a substantial proportion of individuals are diagnosed outside of their PCT of residence. 4. Complete data from 2010 will be available from August 2011.  Source: Health Protection Agency

Hospitals: Food

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had on applying Government Buying Standards to the food served in hospitals and other NHS facilities; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: We have no plans to make a statement nor have we had any discussions on the application of the Government Buying Standards (GBS) for food in hospitals or the national health service estate. NHS organisations are encouraged to take up the GBS for food on a voluntary basis in the recently published "NHS Operating Framework 2011/12".

In Vitro Fertilisation

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the letter from his Department of 11 January 2011, what steps he is taking to support primary care trusts in implementing his Department's strategies on commissioning of IVF services; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: Primary care trusts are well aware of their statutory commissioning responsibilities and the need to base commissioning decisions on clinical evidence and discussions with local general practitioner commissioners, secondary care clinicians and providers.
	The NHS deputy chief executive, David Flory, wrote to primary care trust commissioners on 11 January 2011 to highlight the importance that those involved in commissioning fertility services have regard to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence fertility guidelines, including the recommendation that up to three cycles of in vitro fertilisation are offered to eligible couples where the woman is aged between 23 and 39.
	A copy of this communication has already been placed in the Library and is available at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/prod_consum_dh/groups/dh_digitalassets/documents/digitalasset/dh_123405.pdf
	Additionally, the Department has published a commissioning aid setting out best practice for commissioners, supports Infertility Network UK (INUK)-a leading patient support organisation-to develop and promote standardised access criteria, and to work in partnership with commissioners to encourage good practice in the provision of fertility services.

Infant Mortality

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the infant mortality rate was in each  (a) local authority area,  (b) health authority area and  (c) constituency in each year in which figures are available.

Nick Hurd: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated January 2011:
	.
	Table 1 provides the infant mortality rate in each (a) local authority and (b) primary care organisation in England and Wales. Figures are for 2007-09, the most recent period for which figures are available. The data are presented as three year aggregates in order to smooth the annual fluctuations in deaths and provide large enough numbers to ensure that the figures are sufficiently robust.
	A copy of the tables has been placed in the House of Commons library.
	Due to the sensitive nature of infant deaths and the risk of identifying individuals, ONS does not publish infant mortality figures for smaller areas. Consequently, rates by (c) parliamentary constituency are not provided.
	Numbers and rates, based on three-year aggregated data, for infant mortality by local authority and strategic health authority are available on the ONS website at:
	http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadHome.do
	Data are published for 1998-2000 through to 2006-08.

Low Birthweight Babies

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of births involved low birth weight infants in each  (a) local authority area,  (b) health authority area and  (c) constituency in each year for which figures are available.

Nick Hurd: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated January 2011:
	.
	Table 1 provides the percentages of live births in England and Wales with low birthweight (less than 2,500 grams) in each (a) local authority, (b) primary care organisation and (c) parliamentary constituency, for 2005-09, the most recent years for which figures are available.
	A copy of the tables has been placed in the House of Commons library.
	Information on births is routinely published by different characteristics, including birthweight, and at various geographies. The information is available at:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/Product.asp?vlnk=14408

Mental Health

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of potential links between economic downturns, levels of worklessness and the incidence of mental health disorders; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Burstow: There is good evidence that in times of recession and high unemployment, rates of mental illness does tend to rise. We will soon be publishing a new cross-Government mental health strategy that has the twin aims of promoting and sustaining good mental health and well-being in the wider population, and improving the quality of existing services for people across the full range of mental health problems. It looks at prevalence of problems and effective approaches at different stages in life, stressing the importance of prevention and early intervention.
	The Health settlement in the spending review included funding to expand access to talking therapies. The money will complete the roll out of the nationwide training programme and services which began in 2008 and begin to extend the benefits of talking therapies to the young, the elderly, those with serious mental illness and those who have anxiety disorders or depression alongside long-term physical health conditions like diabetes, heart or lung disease. By March 2011, the roll out will achieve 60% geographical coverage of England. The spending review settlement will complete this by 2014-15.
	For individuals on benefits, there is support available from all of the Department of Work and Pensions' employment programmes through both mainstream and specialist services. They provide personalised support to help individuals overcome their challenges to work, including job broking, health-related support and signposting to relevant services. In each Jobcentre Plus district, there is a mental health co-ordinator function, which develops practical links between mental health and employment services and provides intelligence to advisers. Jobcentre Plus advisers also have access to disability employment advisers and work psychologists, who provide support and advice in relation to claimants and employees who have the most complex work-related support needs.

Mental Health Services: Nurses

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  at what  (a) pay grade and  (b) rank the 30 additional mental health nurses in mental health trusts announced in the Strategic Defence and Security Review will be employed when they begin work; and how many he expects to be (i) existing and (ii) newly recruited staff;
	(2)  in which mental health trusts the 30 additional mental health nurses announced in the Strategic Defence and Security Review will be stationed; when he expects them to begin work; and whether they are to receive any additional or specialist training.

Simon Burns: The Department of Health is working with the national health service, Ministry of Defence and service charities to deliver the recommendations put forward by my hon. Friend the Member for South West Wiltshire (Dr Murrison) in his report to the Prime Minister, 'Fighting Fit', that was published in October 2010. The specification for the employment of 30 additional mental health nurses is currently being developed through the armed forces networks that are led by the strategic health authorities. Commissioning for the service will commence in April 2011. There will be flexibility within the specification to ensure that the additional resources are placed where they are likely to make the most impact for veterans with mental health problems. This specification will ensure that those employed will have the right competencies to deliver this service. Wider training on veterans' issues will also be provided.

Mental Health Services: Prisons

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of offenders with diagnosed mental health disorders were receiving treatment in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Paul Burstow: The information requested is not collected centrally. Currently offenders are screened on arrival at prison and referred for a mental health assessment and treatment, if appropriate. The Department is working with the Ministry of Justice and the Home Office to roll out a national diversion service at police stations and courts, for offenders with mental health problems, by 2014.

Mental Health: Armed Forces

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what components will be included in the health for heroes scheme; how many family doctors will receive training under the scheme; and how many therapists will be attached to hospitals for the purposes of identifying post-traumatic stress disorders;
	(2)  what timetable he has set for the implementation of the health for heroes scheme; when he plans to make an announcement on the details of the scheme; when he plans to introduce training for family doctors under the scheme; and when he plans to implement the attachment of therapists into hospitals for the purposes of identifying post-traumatic stress disorders;
	(3)  which Departments will provide funding for the health for heroes scheme in each year to 2014-15; and how much funding each Department will provide;
	(4)  how much funding he plans to provide for the health for heroes scheme in each year to 2014-15.

Simon Burns: The Department of Health is working with the national health service, Ministry of Defence (MOD) and service charities to deliver in England the recommendations put forward by my hon. Friend the Member for South West Wiltshire (Dr Murrison) in his report to the Prime Minister, 'Fighting Fit', that was published in October 2010. The specification for delivery of 30 additional mental health nurses is currently being developed through the armed forces networks that are led by strategic health authorities. Commissioning for the service will commence in April 2011. There will be flexibility within the specification to ensure that additional resources are placed where they will have the most impact for veterans with mental health problems. This specification will ensure that those employed will have the right competencies to deliver this service. Wider training on veterans' issues will also be provided.
	The Department of Health is working with the Royal College of General Practitioners (GPs), MOD and service charities to develop an e-learning package to provide GPs with specific information about the needs and requirements of veterans. The e-learning package will complement GP's formal undergraduate and postgraduate education and training and will build on other initiatives to raise awareness among GPs of the health care needs of veterans and the services available to them. The aim is to have the e-learning package available to GPs by the summer. This educational support will provide GPs with the necessary knowledge and skills to:
	Understand the key health issues affecting veterans;
	Respond to the common barriers that prevent veterans from accessing health care;
	Recognise how mental health problems commonly present in veterans; and
	Ensure that veterans get the best possible treatment.
	The Department of Health will allocate up to £7.2 million over the spending review period, around £1.8 million per year to deliver the recommendations put forward by my hon. Friend the Member for South West Wiltshire (Dr Murrison). Within the MOD, work on assessing any future costs and resource requirements for implementing the recommendations is currently under way and will be assessed as part of the MOD's planning process, but it is not possible to give any financial data at this time.

Mental Health: Armed Forces

Gemma Doyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what training his Department plans to give to family doctors as part of the proposed health for heroes scheme; when the training will  (a) commence and  (b) be completed; and by what date he expects the doctors to be practising;
	(2)  how many therapists he proposes to engage in hospitals to identify post-traumatic stress disorder in servicemen as part of the proposed health for heroes scheme; what training and qualifications such therapists will be required to have; and from what date he expects such therapists to be deployed.

Simon Burns: The Department of Health is working with the Royal College of General Practitioners (GPs), the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and service charities to develop an e-learning package to provide GPs with specific information about the needs and requirements of veterans. The e-learning package will complement GP's formal undergraduate and postgraduate education and training and will build on other initiatives to raise awareness among GPs of the health care needs of veterans and the services available to them. The aim is to have the e-learning package available to GPs by the summer. This educational support will provide GPs with the necessary knowledge and skills to:
	Understand the key health issues affecting veterans;
	Respond to the common barriers that prevent veterans from accessing health care;
	Recognise how mental health problems commonly present in veterans; and
	Ensure that veterans get the best possible treatment.
	The Department of Health is working with the national health service, MOD and service charities to deliver in England on the recommendations put forward by my hon. Friend the Member for South West Wiltshire (Dr Murrison) in his report to the Prime Minister, 'Fighting Fit', that was published in October 2010. The specification for the employment of 30 additional mental health nurses is currently being developed through the armed forces networks that are led by the strategic health authorities, and bring together primary care trusts with local representatives of the armed forces community, service charities and others. Commissioning for the service will commence in April 2011. This specification will ensure that those employed will have the right competencies to deliver this service. Wider training on veterans' issues will also be provided.

NHS: Drugs

Stuart Andrew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the annual cost to the NHS of unused medicines which were subsequently destroyed in the latest year for which figures are available; and for what reason such drugs returned to the NHS are not reissued to patients requiring prescriptions.

Simon Burns: The Department commissioned the York Health Economics Consortium and the School of Pharmacy at the University of London to carry out research to determine the scale, causes and cost of waste medicines in England. The report, "Evaluation of the Scale Causes and Cost of Waste Medicines", was published by the researchers on 23 November 2010. It found that the gross cost of unused NHS prescription medicines was an estimated £300 million a year in England for 2009, of which the researchers estimated that £150 million was avoidable waste. The report also concluded that there was potential for greater financial and health gains through people taking their medicines as intended.
	While we are concerned about wastage from unused medicines, we cannot promote the reuse of returned medicines from patients on grounds of hygiene and safety.

NHS: Fertility

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether commissioning of NHS infertility services will come within the remit of the proposed NHS Commissioning Board; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: Responsibility for the commissioning of national health service infertility services has not yet been agreed.

NHS: Training

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost to the NHS of the Stonewall NHS Leadership programme at Ashridge Business School in March 2011; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Burstow: The Stonewall NHS Leadership Programme is being delivered by Stonewall at no cost to the national health service. The Department is funding the programme at a cost of £36,000 with the aim of providing targeted leadership support to lesbian, gay and bisexual staff within the NHS. The programme will contribute towards the Government Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Action Plan to be launched in February 2011.

North East Offender Health Commissioning Unit

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he made of the merits of each application to the North East Offender Health Commissioning Unit for the award of a contract to provide NHS primary care services in respect of  (a) quality,  (b) delivery,  (c) risk and  (d) price.

Paul Burstow: Responsibility for commissioning health services in publicly run prisons in England has been fully devolved to national health service primary care trusts since 2006.
	This is a local issue for North East Offender Health Commissioning Unit to comment on their own procurement process.

Prescriptions: Fees and Charges

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department has made of the number of people who used a pre-payment certificate for prescriptions in the latest period for which figures are available; and how many people purchased a pre-payment certificate in each of the last five years.

Simon Burns: Information is not collected on the number of people using a prescription prepayment certificate (PPC). Information on the number of PPCs valid on 20 January 2011 is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  PPCs active( 1)  on 20 January 2011, England( 2) 
			  Certificate duration  Number 
			 3 months 161,961 
			 12 months 673,498 
			 Total 835,459 
			 (1) The PPC expiry date was on or after 20 January 2011. (2) PPCs can have a start date one month prior to or one month after the date the application is received by NHS HwHC . Therefore the number of active PPCs on 20 January may increase if backdated PPCs are issued.  Source: NHS Help with Health Costs (HwHC) PPC database. 
		
	
	The number of PPCs issued or purchased since 2005-06 is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  PPCs issued or purchased, England 
			   Duration of certificates  
			   3 month  4 month  12 month  Total 
			 2005-06 - 638,413 524,232 1,162,645 
			 2006-07 - 650,782 520,449 1,171,231 
			 2007-08(1) 474,570 176,503 593,507 1,244,580 
			 2008-09 730,592 - 652,870 1,383,462 
			 2009-10 714,594 - 662,588 1,377,182 
			 2010-11(2) 540,604 - 504,166 1,044,770 
			 (1) 3 Month PPCs were introduced in July 2007. (2) 2010-11 covers 1 April to 20 January 2011.  Source: NHS Help with Health Costs (HwHC) PPC database.

Prescriptions: Fees and Charges

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 25 October 2010,  Official Report, column 126W, on prescriptions: fees and charges, when he and his Ministerial colleagues plan to look at options for creating a new system of prescription charges and exemptions in England; and by what date he expects to have agreed a set of options.

Simon Burns: We are continuing to explore options for reforming the current prescription charging arrangements, taking into account the financial context. In particular, we are examining the implications of the introduction of universal credit in relation to those current benefits that entitle the recipient of that benefit to free prescriptions. We are also looking at the implications of state pension age changes. We will make announcements about how these changes will be implemented in due course.

Primary Care Trusts: Debts

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had on future liabilities for sums owed by primary care trusts.

Simon Burns: The "2011/12 NHS Operating Framework" states that general practitioner consortia will have their own budgets from 2013-14. They will not be responsible for resolving primary care trust legacy debt that arose prior to 2011-12.
	The detailed financial regime for the new health system is still being developed and part of that development will include the treatment of existing liabilities within the Statement of Financial Position of Primary Care Trusts for the future.

Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Stuart Andrew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to increase the availability of community-based testing for sexually transmitted infections.

Anne Milton: On 21 December 2010, we published "Healthy Lives, Healthy People: Consultation on the funding and commissioning routes for public health", a copy of which has already been placed in the Library. The aim of this consultation, which closes on 31 March, is to ensure the Department gets details of the new public health system right while also delivering significant improvements to the health of the population.
	The Department proposes that local authorities will be responsible for commissioning comprehensive open access sexual health services, using funds from the ring-fenced public health budget. This includes commissioning testing and treatment of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including opportunistic Chlamydia testing in the community, high quality partner notification activity and working with general practitioner practices to encourage testing and treatment of STIs in primary care.

Smoking: Health Services

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people accessed the NHS Smoke Free website in each quarter since 1 April 2009.

Anne Milton: The following table shows the number of people who visited the national health service Smoke Free website in each quarter since 1 April 2009.
	
		
			Number 
			 Q1 April to June 2009 337,134 
			 Q2 July to September 2009 501,589 
			 Q3 October to December 2009 567,853 
			 Q4 January to March 2010 915,259 
			
			 Q1 April to June 2010 234,569 
			 Q2 July to September 2010 162,938 
			 Q3 October to December 2010 248,873 
		
	
	The figures above are based on unique visitors to the website, not on the total number of visits.

Social Services

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the minimum annual number of site visits to social care providers under the new inspection methodology and staffing complement proposed for the Care Quality Commission; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Burstow: The new registration system for private and voluntary healthcare and adult social care providers was set out in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the 2008 Act). It came into effect from 1 October 2010.
	The 2008 Act does not set minimum inspection frequencies for services. Instead, it enables the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to adopt a proportionate approach to inspection. Discussions about when to inspect are based on ongoing intelligence gathering and an assessment of risk. This means CQC targets its resources on providers where the risk is highest, while reducing the regulatory burden on providers where the risk is low.
	CQC implements its approach to inspections in two ways. CQC carries out planned and responsive reviews of a provider's compliance with the registration requirements. A planned review of compliance is a scheduled check of compliance with all of the 16 key essential safety and quality requirements. A responsive review of compliance is carried out when information, or a gap in information, raises concerns about people not experiencing the outcomes they should. Unlike a planned review of compliance, a responsive review is not a full check of compliance with all 16 key essential requirements; it targets the area(s) and outcomes that the specific concerns or gaps relate to.
	In terms of staffing, CQC is an independent body and it is therefore for CQC to determine the appropriate staffing complement in order to carry out its functions efficiently and effectively.

Strokes

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will take steps to ensure co-ordination between GP consortia in order to provide quality stroke care.

Simon Burns: General practitioner (GP) consortia working with other health and care professionals will commission the great majority of NHS services for their patients, including stroke care services. They will not be directly responsible for commissioning services that GPs themselves provide, nor will they be responsible for commissioning the other family health services. These will be the responsibility of the NHS Commissioning Board, as will national and regional specialised commissioning.
	The NHS Commissioning Board will support GP consortia in their commissioning decisions. The board will provide leadership for quality improvement through commissioning. This will include setting commissioning guidelines on the basis of clinically approved quality standards developed with advice from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence and in the case of stroke, the national stroke strategy, in a way that promotes joint working across health, public health and social care.
	Furthermore, the Health and Social Care Bill provides for consortia to work collaboratively on commissioning, for example, by entering into lead commissioner and pooled budgetary arrangements.

Strokes

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his proposed National Commissioning Board will include quality markers from the national stroke strategy in its commissioning guidance.

Simon Burns: The NHS Commissioning Board will have a vital role in providing national leadership for driving up the quality of care across health commissioning, including stroke services. The Board will do this by supporting general practitioner consortiums in a number of ways including:
	publishing evidence based commissioning guidance and model care pathways building on the national stroke strategy and the recently published National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence quality standard for stroke as appropriate; and
	designing the Commissioning Outcomes Framework and the new quality premium.
	It will be for the Board to determine the details of its work programme and the content of commissioning guidance.

Suicide

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will assess long-term trends in rates of suicide among those aged  (a) 15 to 19,  (b) 20 to 24 and  (c) 65 years and over.

Nick Hurd: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated January 2011:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking about long-term trends in rates of suicide among those aged (a) 15 to 19, (b) 20 to 24 and (c) 65 years and over. (35798)
	The table provides age-specific mortality rates, where suicide was the underlying cause of death, for persons aged (a) 15 to 19, (b) 20 to 24 and (c) 65 years and over, in England and Wales, for 1991 to 2009 (the latest year available).
	Suicide figures for persons aged 15 years and over in England and Wales from 1991 onwards are available on the National Statistics website at:
	www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/Product.asp?vlnk=13618

Sunbeds

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps he plans to take to publicise the implementation of the Sunbeds (Regulation) Act 2010 in England;
	(2)  what recent estimate he has made of the number of persons in England  (a) under 18 and  (b) aged 18 and 19 years using sunbeds.

Anne Milton: The Department does not routinely collect information on the number and age of persons using sunbeds in England. However, information summarising sunbed usage in different age groups is available from a number of sources including:
	Cancer Research UK
	http://info.cancerresearchuk.org/cancerstats/types/skin/sunbeds
	The Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment
	www.comare.org.uk/documents/COMARE13thReport.pdf
	The South West Public Health Observatory
	www.swpho.nhs.uk/resource/item.aspx?RID=68377
	We are working with stakeholders to provide appropriate information relating to the Sunbeds (Regulation) Act 2010.

Tobacco: Retail Trade

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the potential effects on public health of removing tobacco point of sale displays from retail outlets.

Anne Milton: The impact assessment for the Health Act 2009 sets out the Department's assessment of the likely public health benefits of removing tobacco displays in shops. The impact assessment has already been placed in the Library.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many improvised explosive device attacks there have been on UK forces in Afghanistan in each month since April 2009.

Liam Fox: holding answer 24 January 2011
	Records of incidents for the whole of Afghanistan are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Data are more readily available for attacks within the Task Force Helmand area of operations in Helmand province, which includes the majority of UK forces deployed to Afghanistan. This area of responsibility has not stayed constant during the period in question. The figures refer to an explosion that has subsequently been reported by units operating within the Task Force Helmand area of responsibility. This includes both 'laid' Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and suicide (both vehicle and person-borne) devices. These figures do not include IED finds with no detonation or IED false alarms.
	
		
			  Month  IED attacks 
			 April 2009 21 
			 May 2009 46 
			 June 2009 81 
			 July 2009 107 
			 August 2009 83 
			 September 2009 76 
			 October 2009 63 
			 November 2009 67 
			 December 2009 69 
			 January 2010 79 
			 February 2010 79 
			 March 2010 71 
			 April 2010 45 
			 May 2010 75 
			 June 2010 79 
			 July 2010 89 
			 August 2010 76 
			 September 2010 67 
			 October 2010 35 
			 November 2010 48 
			 December 2010 61 
		
	
	These data are based on information derived from a number of sources and can only be an estimate, not least because of the difficulties in ensuring a consistent interpretation of the basis for collating statistics in a complex fast-moving multinational operational environment. It is modified over time as more information becomes available.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Territorial Army personnel of each rank based in Northern Ireland were deployed on operations in Afghanistan in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Nick Harvey: The numbers currently available for Territorial Army personnel of each rank based in Northern Ireland who were deployed in Afghanistan over the last three years, are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Rank  2008  2009  2010 
			 LtCol 0 0 0 
			 Maj 10 0 0 
			 Capt 20 10 0 
			 Lt/2Lt 10 0 0 
			 WO1 0 0 0 
			 WO2 10 0 0 
			 SSgt 10 10 0 
			 Sgt 20 10 10 
			 Cpl 20 10 10 
			 LCpl 20 20 10 
			 Pte 50 40 30 
			 Total 160 100 60 
			  Notes: 1. Data excludes all special forces personnel. Due to ongoing validation of the Joint Personnel Administration system, all data provided is provisional and subject to review. 2. Numbers may include repeat tours, although each individual is only recorded once in each year. Total numbers deployed will not equal the sum of the individual years. 3. All figures are rounded to the nearest 10. Entries marked '0' are zero or rounded to zero.

Armed Forces: Deployment

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many troops are deployed at each overseas location on operations.

Nick Harvey: The following table shows the number of troops deployed on operations at overseas locations:
	
		
			  Location  Endorsed number (as at  21 January 2011)( 1) 
			 Afghanistan 9,500 
			 At sea (2)1,300 
			 Bahrain 150 
			 Cyprus 30 
			 Iraq 100 
			 Oman 450 
			 Qatar 150 
			 South Atlantic 1,500 
			 UAE 50 
			 Other (3)<50 
			 (1) Rounded to the nearest 50 personnel. (2) Numbers at sea in support of operations in the Red Sea, the Arabian Gulf and the Indian Ocean. (3) Small scale deployments in support of EU and UN missions, headquarters liaison officers and capacity building activities. 
		
	
	The precise number of personnel in each theatre fluctuates on a daily basis for a variety of reasons, including mid-tour rest and recuperation, temporary absence for training, evacuation for medical reasons, the roulement of forces, visits and a range of other factors. We do not, therefore, publish actual figures for personnel deployed in theatre.

Armed Forces: Vehicles

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many military vehicles of each type were reported stolen in the UK in each year since 2009.

Andrew Robathan: The following table shows the number of military vehicles reported to the Ministry of Defence Police as stolen during the years 2009 and 2010.
	
		
			  Vehicle type  Number reported stolen 
			  2009  
			 Car 4 
			 Van 1 
			 Landrover 2 
			 Roadsweeper 1 
			 Inflatable dinghy 1 
			   
			  2010  
			 Pick up truck 1 
			 Bedford truck 1 
			 Landrover 7 
			 Inflatable dinghy and trailer 1

Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many armoured vehicles of each type in each armed service were  (a) in service and  (b) available for operations on the latest date for which figures are available.

Peter Luff: I am withholding information on the numbers of vehicles available as its disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces.
	The number of armoured vehicles of each type in service is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Vehicle  Total number in service 
			 AS90 166 
			 Challenger 2 345 
			 CRARRV 81 
			 CVR(T) 1,179 
			 Fuchs 11 
			 FV430 (Mk 2 and Bulldog) 900 
			 Saxon 0 
			 Titan 33 
			 Trojan 33 
			 Warrior 785 
			 Mastiff 304 
			 Panther 412 
			 Ridgback 155 
			 Snatch (all variants) 574 
			 Vector 179 
			 Viking 161 
			 Wolfhound 73 
			 Husky 236

Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many armoured vehicles will be retired as a result of decisions taken in the Strategic Defence and Security Review.

Peter Luff: The Ministry of Defence will reduce its holdings of Challenger 2, AS-90, MLRS, Warrior, CVR(T) and FV430 in light of operational priorities and revised planning assumptions as laid down in the Strategic Defence and Security Review. Exact numbers are the subject of the ongoing Defence planning round and are yet to be finalised.

AWE Aldermaston

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of his Department's expenditure on the re-kit programmes for  (a) the A45 and  (b) the A90 facilities at the Atomic Weapons Establishment, Aldermaston over the lifetime of the programmes.

Peter Luff: The estimated Ministry of Defence expenditure on the re-kit programmes for the A45 and A90 facilities at the Atomic Weapons Establishment, Aldermaston over the lifetime of the programmes is in the order of £32 million and £272 million respectively at outturn prices.

AWE Aldermaston: Fires

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 22 November 2010,  Official Report, column 37W, on the Atomic Weapons Establishment, by what date he expects to place in the Library the post-redaction reports from the Astral Bend 10 nuclear weapons emergency exercise.

Peter Luff: Further to the answer I gave the hon. Member on 12 November 2010,  Official Report, column 503W, work continues on the review of these documents and a copy should be placed in the Library of the House prior to the Easter recess.

AWE Aldermaston: Fires

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 12 November 2010,  Official Report, column 503, on AWE Aldermaston: fires, by what date he expects to place in the Library a copy of the Atomic Weapons Establishment emergency plan for dealing with incidents in the AWE Aldermaston conventional explosives area.

Peter Luff: Further to the answer I gave the hon. Member on 22 November 2010,  Official Report, column 37W, work continues on assessing the content of the Emergency Plan. I anticipate that a copy will be placed in the Library of the House prior to the Easter recess.

AWE Aldermaston: Radioactive Waste

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations his Department has received from the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) on the desirability of storing radioactive waste from decommissioned submarines at AWE sites.

Peter Luff: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has not received any representations from either AWE Management Limited or AWE plc on the desirability of storing radioactive waste from ex-Royal Navy nuclear submarines at Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) sites.
	Briefings have been provided to AWE plc senior management on the Submarine Dismantling Project (SDP), to ensure that the company is aware of SDP activities that may be relevant to the sites it operates on behalf of the MOD. This is because the SDP Proposed Site Criteria and Screening Paper identified MOD-owned sites with existing nuclear licences as one of three generic categories of sites that should be the subject of more detailed analysis. Two AWE sites fall into this generic category.
	The SDP Proposed Site Criteria and Screening Paper is available on the following website:
	www.submarinedismantling.co.uk/assets/downloads/sdp/sdp_proposed_site_criteria_screening_paper.pdf
	A copy of the paper has been placed in the Library of the House.

Challenger Tanks

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to maintain the Challenger Two Main Battle Tank beyond 2020; and if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of such maintenance.

Peter Luff: The cost of in-service support for Challenger 2 in this financial year was approximately £35 million. Future support costs will depend upon the number of platforms in service, activity levels and operational usage. These factors are subject to our ongoing planning round following publication of the strategic defence and security review. The planned out of service date for Challenger 2 is 2035.

Defence Vetting Agency

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment the Chief Executive of the Defence Vetting Agency has made of possible reductions in the  (a) budget and  (b) staffing levels of her agency; and what level of reductions are under assessment.

Andrew Robathan: In line with other areas of the Ministry of Defence (MOD), the Defence Vetting Agency (DVA) is currently examining what reductions can sensibly be made as a result of the strategic defence and security review and the spending review. The outcomes of the both of these are being developed through the MOD's annual planning round. This is expected to conclude in spring 2011. The final decisions on funding for the DVA will ensure that the MOD can continue to provide an effective level of security vetting for its staff and contractors.

Defence: Procurement

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of procurement of  (a) aircraft carriers,  (b) the Joint Strike Fighter,  (c) the Trident replacement programme,  (d) Type 45 destroyers,  (e) the Future Rapid Effects System,  (f) Astute Class submarines and  (g) Typhoons in the next 12 months.

Peter Luff: Expenditure on individual projects in the coming year is still being finalised as part of the Ministry of Defence's planning process. However, we do not routinely publish figures for anticipated annual project expenditure, as its disclosure would prejudice commercial interests.

Defence: Procurement

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 23 November 2010,  Official Report, columns 221-2W, on defence: procurement, what assessment he has made of the compliance of each project history document with his Department's guidance set out in Maintaining a Project History, v.4.0, August 2007.

Peter Luff: Project histories are not subject to compliance review. Departmental good practice guidance on maintaining project histories allows scope for project team leaders to interpret it to best meet the needs of their project depending on its size, complexity and nature. This ensures that the main elements of the guidance are considered.

Departmental Public Appointments

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many  (a) women and  (b) men have been appointed to public duties by his Department since May 2010;
	(2)  what public appointments he has made since his appointment; and to what payments each person so appointed is entitled.

Andrew Robathan: Information on key public appointments made since May 2010 is published in individual press releases. These should include information on remuneration. Press releases are available at
	http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/DefenceNews/PressCentre/PressReleases
	There have been 173 public appointments made to Ministry of Defence non-departmental public bodies since May 2010. Of those appointed, 36 are women and 137 are men. 163 of the appointments are voluntary members of the Veterans Advisory and Pensions Committees, who represent the interests of war disablement pensioners and war widow(er)s. They are unpaid and receive only reasonable out of pocket expenses. The Central Advisory Committee on Pensions and Compensation appointed one unpaid member. There were five appointments to the National Army Museum Council. Council members are unpaid but receive reasonable expenses. There were four appointments to the Defence Scientific Advisory Council. The chairman and council members are paid a fee for each day worked, plus reasonable travel and subsistence costs. The exact amounts depend on the number of days they are required to work each year.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much and what proportion of his Department's budget was spent on  (a) pay,  (b) pensions and  (c) equipment in 2009-10.

Nick Harvey: The information available for 2009-10 is provided in the following table.
	
		
			   Pay  Pensions  Equipment 
			  Financial year  £ billion  Percentage  £ billion  Percentage  £ billion( 1)  Percentage 
			 2009-10 10.2 20.4 3.0 6.0 13.2 26.3 
			 (1) The figure quoted comprises capital expenditure on equipment, equipment support and research and development costs.  Source: Departmental Resource Accounts 2009-10 and UKDS 2010, Table 1.4. 
		
	
	In addition, payments made under the separately funded Armed Forces Pensions Scheme for 2009-10 were £3.5 billion.

Harrier Aircraft

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what plans he has for GR9 Harrier aircraft to be retained in reserve after their withdrawal from service; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what techniques exist for the maintenance in long-term storage of aircraft which have been withdrawn from service;
	(3)  if he will make it his policy to prevent any dismantling of Harrier aircraft withdrawn from service; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  what estimate he has made of the cost of mothballing  (a) each and  (b) all of the Harrier aircraft after they have been withdrawn from service.

Peter Luff: The Harrier aircraft retired from service with the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force on 15 December 2010. There are no plans to retain these aircraft as a reserve capability.
	The Harrier fleet is currently in storage and is receiving minimum maintenance including anti-deterioration measures to keep the aircraft in an airworthy condition for possible sale. It is too early to say what the final disposal arrangements will be and any associated storage costs will be considered as part of that process.

Harrier Aircraft

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with officers of the  (a) Royal Navy and  (b) Royal Air Force on the potential of Harrier aircraft which have been mothballed to be utilised in the event of an emergency.

Peter Luff: Following the Strategic Defence and Security Review, the Harrier aircraft retired from service on 15 December 2010. There are no plans to retain these aircraft as a reserve or emergency capability. The National Security Council decision to retire the Harrier fleet was agreed collectively by the Service Chiefs.

HMS Prince of Wales

Laura Sandys: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for the future of HMS Prince of Wales.

Peter Luff: The Strategic Defence and Security Review announcement on 19 October 2010 stated that we plan to deliver the carrier strike capability from around 2020 with the carrier variant of the Joint Strike Fighter and a Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carrier fitted with catapults and arrestor gear to enhance the effectiveness of UK carrier strike.
	In conjunction with industry and our international partners we are investigating how best to deliver this outcome, including which vessel or vessels will be converted and at what point in their build schedule. No decisions have yet been taken. Construction work is due to begin on HMS Prince of Wales in May 2011.

Military Aircraft

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many aircraft of each type were in service with the Royal Air Force on the most recent date for which figures are available.

Nick Harvey: The number of aircraft in-service with the RAF as at 21 January 2011 is provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Aircraft type  In-service fleet (Number) 
			 BAE 146 2 
			 BAE 125 6 
			 C-17 7 
			 Dominie(1) 9 
			 Hawk T1 129 
			 Hawk T2 17 
			 Hercules CI30K 11 
			 Hercules CI30J 24 
			 King Air 4 
			 Nimrod R1 2 
			 Sentinel 5 
			 Sentry 6 
			 Tornado F3 15 
			 Tornado GR4 137 
			 TriStar 9 
			 Tucano 93 
			 Typhoon 70 
			 VC10 13 
			 Vigilant 65 
			 Viking 82 
			 (1) Dominie was withdrawn from service on 21 January.

Military Aircraft

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many cannibalisations of each type of Royal Air Force aircraft there have been in each year since 2009.

Peter Luff: Cannibalisation is where one aircraft benefits from the removal of serviceable parts from another. It is a routine and temporary measure to ensure that the required number of aircraft is available for front line duty.
	The number of cannibalisations for 2009 and 2010 for fixed wing aircraft is provided in the following table:
	
		
			  Aircraft  2009  2010 
			 Harrier (all types)(1) 885 647 
			 Tornado GR4 720 709 
			 Tornado F3 48 32 
			 Typhoon 712 1,005 
			 Nimrod MR2(2) 334 67 
			 Nimrod R1 143 103 
			 TriStar 81 167 
			 VC-10 122 83 
			 Hercules C130K 45 30 
			 Hercules C130J 405 469 
			 Sentinel R1 69 92 
			 Sentry 156 307 
			 BAE 125 36 51 
			 BAE 146 9 2 
			 C17 43 58 
			 Dominie 12 6 
			 Hawk T1 359 184 
			 Hawk T2 13 43 
			 Tucano 18 5 
			 Vigilant 14 4 
			 Viking (3)- (3)- 
			 (1) Harrier was withdrawn from service on 15 December 2010 (2) Nimrod MR2 was withdrawn from service on 31 March 2010 (3) Combined with Vigilant

Military Bases: Northern Ireland

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to have made an assessment of the effects of the outcome of the strategic defence and security review on the defence estate in Northern Ireland.

Andrew Robathan: An impact assessment of the effects of the outcome of the strategic defence and security review will be made once decisions regarding future basing have been taken.

Nuclear Weapons

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Newport West of 12 November 2010,  Official Report, column 503W, on nuclear weapons, what  (a) findings,  (b) safety improvement notices and  (c) immediate safety requirements were issued by the Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator in the period 2005 to 2010.

Peter Luff: No immediate safety requirements were issued by the Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator (DNSR) during the period 2005 to 2010.
	A total of four safety improvement notices have been issued during this period as follows:
	
		
			   Subject 
			 2005 Radiation Emergency Preparedness and Public Information Regulations (REPPIR) Submission. 
			 2006 Air Transport Emergency Arrangements. 
			 2010 Babcock Event No 19720: Failure to Reinstate Primary Safety Systems. 
			 2010 Nuclear Propulsion Project Team, Organisation for Delivery of Nuclear Safety by the Approval Authority role. 
		
	
	In respect of the findings, I will write to the hon. Member.

Nuclear Weapons: Decommissioning

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress his Department has made on producing a decommissioning and disposal strategy for the defence nuclear programme; and when he expects such a strategy document to be published.

Peter Luff: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) team responsible for producing the decommissioning and disposal strategy for the defence nuclear programme is part way through the drafting process, with oversight from the Defence Nuclear Executive Board. This work is being carried out in liaison with the Department of Energy and Climate Change and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), in recognition of the need to align the MOD's strategy with the NDA's strategy for the civil nuclear sector.
	Good progress is being made and, on the basis that this continues, we hope to publish the document by this summer in line with the NDA's publication of its strategy.

Reserve Forces: Recruitment

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) officer and  (b) non-officer recruits joined the (i) Territorial Army, (ii) Royal Naval Reserve and (iii) Royal Auxiliary Air Force in each defence region in each of the last six years.

Andrew Robathan: The information is not held in the format requested. The services collect and collate this information differently. The information that is available is presented in the following tables:
	
		
			  Naval S ervices 
			  Financial year  2003-04  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10 
			  Scotland and Northern Ireland   
			 Officers 3 6 2 2 3 6 
			 Ratings 25 40 26 24 28 67 
			
			  North of England   
			 Officers 1 8 4 2 1 1 
			 Ratings 34 19 36 23 24 30 
			
			  Wales and West of England   
			 Officers 16 33 5 20 9 4 
			 Ratings 51 42 44 49 37 54 
			
			  East of England   
			 Officers 18 41 7 15 15 13 
			 Ratings 45 77 42 25 23 60 
			
			  Location u nknown   
			 Officers 2 0 2 3 1 4 
			 Ratings 0 4 0 b 0 0 
		
	
	
		
			  Army 
			  Financial year  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10 
			  Territorial Army
			 Officer 46 71 29 
			 Other Rank 4,670 6,514 6,089 
		
	
	
		
			  Royal Air Force 
			  Financial year  Number 
			 2004-05 258 
			 2005-06 244 
			 2006-07 315 
			 2007-08 338 
			 2008-09 444 
			 2009-10 411

Trident Submarines

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his Department's estimate is of the cost of purchasing long-lead items required for the Vanguard submarine replacement programme assessment phase ahead of the Main Gate decision.

Peter Luff: The programme to replace the Vanguard Class of submarines has yet to enter the assessment phase. During this phase a number of long lead items will be ordered so they will be available to use, as needed, after the main gate decision point planned for 2016. Not to do so would lengthen construction time and potentially impact the plan to deliver the first boat in around 2028. Final decisions on exactly what long lead items will be required and when, will not be taken until after initial gate.
	The value of long lead items will be dependent on the work programme to be approved at initial gate.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Academic Freedom

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to address extremism on university campuses.

David Willetts: A number of steps have been taken to address extremism on campus over the past three years:
	Each university has a designated police officer with whom the university management team can discuss issues relating to extremism, radicalisation and recruitment by terrorist organisations;
	Guidance was given to all institutions on how to manage the risk of violent extremism occurring and how to promote campus cohesion;
	The National Union of Students work closely with their student societies to help them understand the risks associated with invitation to extreme speakers.
	Universities are now more aware of the risks and how to manage them but we recognise that more needs to be done. As part of the review of the Prevent strategy currently under way, we will be considering what additional activity we need to undertake with the university sector to increase their resilience to extremism and to enable them to give more effective and earlier support to students who may be vulnerable to the effects of extremist activity on campus. This review, which is being led by the Home Office, is expected to be completed by the middle of February, with a new Prevent strategy published before Easter 2011.

Arts

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when UK Trade and Investment plans to announce its strategy for the creative industries sector.

Mark Prisk: UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) is planning to launch its new four year strategy towards the end of this financial year. UKTI will continue to support the creative industries and a business programme will be made available soon in the new financial year.

Asbestos: Canada

Simon Danczuk: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he has discussed with Ministers in the government of  (a) Canada and  (b) Quebec the investment of each in the mining of asbestos for export to developing countries.

Mark Prisk: No.

Banks: Northern Ireland

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what meetings he has had with representatives of the banking sector in Northern Ireland in the last 12 months.

Edward Davey: The Secretary of State has held no meetings with representatives of the banking sector in Northern Ireland in the last 12 months.

Business: Higher Education

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what actions the Technology Strategy Board undertook in each of the last five years to improve the relationship between business and higher education institutions; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what his assessment is of the effectiveness of the Technology Strategy Board's work to improve the relationship between business and higher education institutions; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: The Technology Strategy Board supports technology innovation by UK businesses in those areas which offer the greatest scope for boosting UK growth and productivity on the basis of business and academic strength. To deliver this goal it works with partners across Government including, importantly, the research councils, as this ensures that investments in research are more closely informed by business, and that businesses will more readily adopt innovations that stem from excellent research.
	Since its establishment in July 2007, the partnership with the research councils has become stronger and more diverse, evolving from traditional areas (e.g. aerospace) to addressing key challenges (e.g. sustainable agriculture and food and stratified medicine) and growing sectors of the economy that are important to the UK (e.g. creative industries).
	The scale of research council activity aligned with the Technology Strategy Board (announced and projected) now totals £189 million, and has exceeded the original target of £120 million over the current Spending Review period. Furthermore, over two thirds of the 900 current collaborative R and D projects, which account for a majority of the Technology Strategy Board's direct funding, have at least one university partner collaborating with business, and its knowledge transfer networks and knowledge transfer partnerships, enable business and academia to collaborate to improve competitiveness and productivity through better use of knowledge, technology and skills. Networks bring together key individuals with a shared interest in areas aligned with Technology Strategy Board priorities, and partnerships allow the placement of skilled individuals into business injecting vital know-how to enable the strategic development of the business.
	Moving forward, the research councils and the Technology Strategy Board have identified a number of strategic priority areas within the broad themes of high-value manufacturing; health care; digital; low carbon; energy and resource efficiency, for collaboration, and the research councils will also work with the Technology Strategy Board to help deliver technology and innovation centres.
	It should also be noted that the Technology Strategy Board will be the subject of a formal five-yearly review in 2012 which will assess its performance among other issues.

Devolved Administrations

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had with the devolved administrations on activities to promote competitiveness.

Mark Prisk: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has visited Scotland and held discussions on a wide range of issues facing the UK economy. He intends to visit Wales and Northern Ireland in the near future to hold similar discussions. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State remains committed to dialogue with the devolved administrations to ensure that the whole of the UK remains a competitive place to do business.

Export: Burma

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the monetary value of exports to Burma was in each of the last three years; and what were the main products so exported.

Mark Prisk: Recorded UK exports of goods to Burma were worth just under £4 million in each of 2007, 2008 and 2009. The main exports were beverages and medicinal products in all three years, and power generating equipment in 2007.
	The Office for National Statistics estimated UK exports of services to Burma were worth £4 million in each of 2008 and 2009; consistent estimates for 2007 are not available.
	The Government discourage trade and investment with Burma and UK Trade and Investment offers no commercial services to companies wishing to trade or invest there. EU sanctions are in place against Burma.

Exports: China

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to reduce administrative burdens on the issuing of export licences for small and medium-sized businesses wishing to trade with China.

Mark Prisk: All export licence applications, including those for export to China, are considered on a case by case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria and the associated EU Code of Conduct.
	We have taken steps in recent years to reduce administrative burdens on the issuing of export licences in general. In September 2007 we moved to a fully electronic web based processing system, known as SPIRE. This replaced the previous system of paper licences and provides a complete end-to-end e-business service. This change benefited all exporters.
	The Government publishes licence processing target times. For standard individual export licences, the target is to process 70% of these within 20 working days; although if extra information is requested and not supplied, this will inevitably delay resolution of the case. Additionally, sensitive destinations, such as China which is subject to an EU arms embargo, sometimes take longer to process due to the need to apply greater scrutiny. Furthermore, the Government's performance against these targets for each destination country is published in the Annual and Quarterly Reports on Strategic Export Controls.

Financial Inclusion Fund

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many debt advisers have been funded through the Financial Inclusion Fund in  (a) England,  (b) the West Midlands and  (c) each borough in the West Midlands in each of the last five years.

Edward Davey: There are around 500 debt advisers funded via the Financial Inclusion Fund's Face-to-Face (F2F) Debt Advice project, of which around 60 F2F debt advisers were employed in the West Midlands area. The funds which we provided aimed to maintain this level of advice support over the five years.
	The number of debt advisers covering the West Midlands by area is as follows:
	
		
			  Area  Number 
			 Birmingham 11 
			 Coventry 4 
			 Dudley 3 
			 Herefordshire 1 
			 Sandwell 5 
			 Shropshire 1.5 
			 Solihull 1 
			 Staffordshire 6.5 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 6 
			 Telford 2 
			 Walsall 4 
			 Warwickshire 4 
			 Wolverhampton 6.5 
			 Worcestershire 7 
			 Total 62.5

Financial Inclusion Fund

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of people who have received debt advice funded through the Financial Inclusion Fund in each of the last five years.

Edward Davey: In each of the last five years, the number of individuals receiving debt advice from the Face-to-Face Debt Advice project funded via the Financial Inclusion Fund (FIF) is as follows.
	
		
			  Financial years  Number 
			 2006/07 26,567 
			 2007/08 92,635 
			 2008/09 100,968 
			 2009/10 105,155 
			 2010 to 30 September 53,679 
			 Total 379,004 
		
	
	The Debt Advice in Prisons project run by the Legal Service Commission is also funded from FIF, but this Department does not have total figures for the number of clients advised under that project.

Further Education: Ashfield

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many young people resident in Ashfield constituency participated in further education  (a) in the academic year 2009-10 and  (b) in each of the three years prior to the introduction of the education maintenance allowance.

Nick Gibb: I have been asked to reply.
	Estimates of participation in education and training for young people in each local authority (LA) in England are published by the Department in a Statistical First Release (SFR) each June. The full SFR can be found on the Department's website:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000938/index.shtml
	Figures are not available at parliamentary constituency level, so LA figures for Nottinghamshire are provided in this response. The latest figures relate to the end of 2008, part way through the 2008/09 academic year.
	The latest figures show that in Nottinghamshire LA an estimated 8,800 young people of academic age 16 (usually those in their first year after compulsory education) were in some form of education or work based learning (WBL) at the end of 2008. This represented 86% of the resident population.
	Education maintenance allowance (EMA) was introduced nationally from September 2004. The following time-series shows the number and proportion of 16-year-olds in education or WBL in Nottinghamshire for the three years prior to its introduction, and for every year subsequently for which data are available:
	
		
			  Participation in education and work based learning (WBL) of academic age 16 years( 1) 
			   Nottinghamshire  England 
			  End of year:  Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage 
			 2001 7,700 82 523,500 83 
			 2002 8,100 85 527,500 84 
			 2003 8,200 82 539,700 83 
			 2004 8,300 81 562,300 85 
			 2005 8,200 83 563,500 86 
			 2006 8,400 82 579,800 87 
			 2007 8,700 84 590,900 88 
			 2008 8,800 86 602,900 91 
			 (1) Numbers rounded to the nearest 100, and proportions to the nearest percentage point. 
		
	
	We are committed to making sure that young people from low income households can continue in education and training post-16. We are considering the replacement for the education maintenance allowance and want to ensure that the funds we have are targeted on those young people who most need support to enable them to participate in learning.

Higher Education: Finance

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether funding for higher education institutions in London to take account of additional costs in London will be additional to teaching funding in the Comprehensive Spending Review period.

David Willetts: We will set out our priorities for the remaining teaching grant in the forthcoming Higher Education White Paper. This will include consideration of the additional costs for certain groups of institutions, subjects and students.

Higher Education: Sanctions

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what sanctions will be imposed on higher education institutions which do not comply with an access agreement made with the Officer of Fair Access to Higher Education.

David Willetts: The Director of Fair Access has a range of sanctions available to use against any institution that is not meeting the terms of its access agreement.
	The major sanction available is not to approve or renew an access agreement. This would remove the institution's right to charge its students above the basic level. The Director of Fair Access may also impose a fine (via the Higher Education Funding Council for England) of up to £500,000, or require restitution if students have been disadvantaged or commitments have not been honoured.
	On 7 December I published draft guidance to the Director of Fair Access setting out my expectations and suggestions as to how the Director might approach the approval and monitoring of institutions' access agreements. Final guidance will be published shortly.
	The basic and higher levels of graduate contribution are changing from 1 September 2012. Much more public funding will be reaching universities via students, supported by up-front loans from the public purse. These changes are significant, and we want to monitor their effects carefully. The draft guidance to the Director of Fair Access therefore asks him to review access agreements annually, rather than every five years as at present.
	We will be publishing a White Paper on higher education reforms during the early part of this year. As part of that we will consider if changes are needed to strengthen the role of the Director of Fair Access further.

Livingston and Riccarton

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will meet  (a) management and  (b) employees of Aptuit to discuss that company's proposal to close its sites at Livingston and Riccarton.

Mark Prisk: This is a matter for the Scottish Executive.

Local Enterprise Partnerships: Bournemouth

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has for local enterprise partnerships in the Bournemouth area; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: Local enterprise partnerships are locally driven. A proposal which covered the Bournemouth Poole and Dorset was received in response to the joint letter from the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, dated 29 June. This proposal did not meet all the Government's expectations as set out in the Local Growth White Paper. Officials have been working with partners in the area as they develop a revised proposal.

London Post Office Railway

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will assess the merits of selling the London Post Office Railway separate to other changes to the ownership structure of Royal Mail Holdings plc proposed in the Postal Services Bill.

Edward Davey: No decision has been take on the form or method of sale of Royal Mail. We are taking a staged approach-our first priority is passing the Postal Services Bill to allow the framework for action. The Government will then bring into force the new regulatory regime and take decisions on private sector investment.
	Our decision will depend on market conditions, getting best value for the taxpayer and securing a sustainable future for Royal Mail.

Microfinance

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of his Department's project budget has been spent on microfinance projects in the last three years for which figures are available.

Mark Prisk: Direct funding for community development finance institutions CDFIs (who often provide microfinance) has been provided by regional development agencies. RDAs report around £11 million per year was provided to CDFIs over the last three years. A large proportion on this will have supported microfinance activity. Microfinance and larger loans are also supported by the Enterprise Finance Guarantee (and previously Small Firms Loan Guarantee). However, no information is available about the breakdown between microfinance and larger loans for these schemes. For this reason I cannot provide information on the proportion of the Department's budget which supports microfinance. Government also support microfinance through the Community Investment Tax Relief Scheme which encourages investment enterprises in disadvantaged communities and groups through CDFIs.

Office for Fair Access: Manpower

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many staff he expects to be employed by the Office of Fair Access in each of the next three years; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: We will be publishing a White Paper on higher education reforms during the early part of this year. As part of that we will consider if changes are needed in respect of the Office of Fair Access. We are working with its director to determine what level of resource will be required, including staffing, in future years.

Postal Services: Livingston

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will assess the potential effects on the universal service obligation in Livingston constituency of implementation of his proposals to privatise Royal Mail.

Edward Davey: The Government's policy, as set out in the Postal Services Bill, is that the minimum requirements for the universal postal service must include at least one delivery of letters to addresses or other identified points every Monday to Saturday.
	Our overarching objective is to secure the future of the universal postal service and the Bill ensures that this will be Ofcom's primary duty in respect of mail. The nature of the ownership of the universal service provider will not change this.

Postal Services: Standards

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will make representations to the Royal Mail on recent delays to the delivery of letters and parcels; and if he will estimate the number of letters and parcels held in postal delivery sorting offices for  (a) longer than one month and  (b) longer than three months in the latest period for which figures are available.

Edward Davey: Mail delivery is an operational matter for the Royal Mail. I have therefore asked the chief executive of Royal Mail, Moya Greene, to respond directly to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply will be placed in the House Libraries.

Postal Services: Standards

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will assess the Royal Mail postal delivery backlogs affecting  (a) domestic and  (b) international post and their effects on small businesses.

Edward Davey: Mail delivery is an operational matter for the Royal Mail. I have therefore asked the chief executive of Royal Mail, Moya Greene, to respond directly to the honourable Member and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Regional Growth Fund

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether his Department plans to publish a shortlist of regional growth fund projects for consideration by the Independent Advisory Panel for each Government office region.

Mark Prisk: All bids will go before the independent Advisory Panel, there are no plans to publish a list of projects; however, the Department will publish data on the breakdown of bids to the Fund.

Regional Growth Fund

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the total value is of the bids received for the first round of the regional growth fund.

Mark Prisk: The fund has received over 450 bids with a value worth over £2 billion; the information contained on each bid is currently being processed, after which we will have the final figure. This information will be available during the week commencing 31 January 2011 and placed on the BIS website.

Regional Growth Fund

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many bids his Department has received for the first round of the regional growth fund in each Government office region.

Mark Prisk: The fund has received over 450 bids; the information contained on each bid is currently being processed. The requested information will be available during the week commencing 31 January 2011 and placed on the BIS website.

Regional Growth Fund

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether unsuccessful bids for the first round of the regional growth fund will be considered for inclusion in future rounds.

Mark Prisk: Unsuccessful applicants will be given feedback on their bids, they will not automatically be considered for future rounds, but they will be able to re-submit their bid in future rounds.

Regional Growth Fund

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of bids received for the first round of the regional growth fund were submitted by local enterprise partnerships solely.

Mark Prisk: The fund has received over 450 bids; the information contained on each bid is currently being processed. The requested information will be available during the week commencing 31 January 2011 and placed on the BIS website.

Regulatory Regime for Debt Recovery Companies

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether his Department plans to review the regulatory regime for debt recovery companies.

Edward Davey: The last Government consulted on this issue in 2009, and found that there were mixed views. There was a strong feeling that regulation of debt recovery companies should be looked at in the context of the personal insolvency regime as a whole. Our call for evidence "Managing Borrowing and Dealing with Debt" (published October 2010) invited comments on the personal insolvency framework, including debt management aspects. We have received a large number of responses which are currently being analysed and will be published in due course.
	All who provide debt management services are required to be licensed under the Consumer Credit Act 1974. Last year the Office of Fair Trading reviewed compliance with its Debt Management Guidance and published a report on 28 September 2010. Subsequently they issued warnings to 129 debt management firms about non-compliant business practices. Of the 129 firms, 35 have indicated that they will surrender their licences, 79 have produced audited evidence confirming action taken to address areas of non-compliance and the OFT have initiated revocation action against a number of traders.

Students: Debts

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had with the Council of Mortgage Lenders about the effects of student debt on likely levels of mortgage lending to graduates; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: The Council for Mortgage Lenders have advised that a student loan is very unlikely to materially impact on an individual's ability to get a mortgage. However the reduction in net income may result in a commensurate reduction in the amount a mortgage lender is willing to lend.
	Our proposal to increase the repayment threshold from £15,000 to £21,000 will reduce the amount borrowers need to repay each month, and therefore increase the amount of net income available to them which could be helpful to them when applying for a mortgage.

UN Special Representative on Business: Human Rights

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent meetings  (a) he,  (b) Ministers and  (c) officials in his Department have had with the UN Special Representative on business and human rights.

Edward Davey: I met Professor John Ruggie, UN Special Representative on Business and Human Rights, on 10 January 2011 together with officials from within the Department. There have been no separate meetings between Professor John Ruggie and other BIS Ministers.

Unfair Dismissal

Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has for the future length of a period of continuous employment which qualifies entitlement to unfair dismissal rights.

Edward Davey: We are looking at a number of ways of helping businesses and protecting employees as part of our ongoing employment law review. As part of that review, the Government are considering changes to the length of a period of continuous employment which qualifies entitlement to unfair dismissal. We will make any announcements following on from that review in due course.